The Return of the Light
by c.legler
Summary: PART 2 OF 4 SERIES AFTER 'FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH': Kurtis meets an interesting fellow who reveals information that his Lux Veritatis brothers may be alive. With the help of an old friend, can they stop the enemy's attempts to erase the Lux knights completely?
1. The Stranger in the Bar

**Hello everyone! Wow, one week sure has been a long time! As I promised, I'm back with the sequel on Thursday! Action builds up immediately and leaves you on your toes, the way it should, and I thought we'd give Kurtis the spotlight for once. So read on...and tell me what you think! =D**

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**The rain fell hard against the window panes, lightning bolts illuminating the skies of France. The moon had barely risen, yet it felt as though night had fallen ages ago. The planking sounds against the tin roof of the one-bedroom flat succeeded in keeping him awake – not that the sound of the rain was the only thing that kept him from tossing and turning.

Kurtis Trent lay atop his bed in the dingy studio apartment of Avignon, France. His ankles were crossed over each other, and he was still fully clothed in street attire, from the t-shirt and thermal white undershirt to the sturdy brown boots that could withstand any type of weather or terrain. He leaned back on his pillow, both arms folded behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. His shoulder holster was still strapped on, although his Boran X rested on the nightstand table, still close enough for quick reach, should he need it. His Chirugai was still clipped onto his belt – the only place it ever really remained anymore.

Another lightning bolt reached across the sky, and thunder complemented it loudly enough to rattle the shutters outside his windows. A faint dripping noise began to make itself apparent, and Kurtis sighed with irritation, sitting up on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning into his hands. He hadn't slept well in over three months, for numerous reasons. Kurtis rose, heading across the small bedroom to the corner where the leak in the ceiling shed small drops off water onto the wooden floor. He retrieved the tin pot from the nearby table and placed it under the droplets, the sound echoing worse than it had before. _Great,_ he thought sarcastically. _That should make sleeping easier._

He glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand – 9:26 p.m. This was going to be a long night. He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned over the windowsill, gazing through the smudged glass to the empty street down below. The building across the street was so close that Kurtis figured he could probably jump out of the window and reach the opposite ledge with ease. It wasn't that Avignon was a horrible town – it just wasn't exactly fit for living, at least where he was staying. He figured he couldn't really complain since rent was extremely cheap, and he didn't sleep much anyway. In fact, he hardly spent time in the little apartment in the first place. He was usually off doing God-knows-what.

Kurtis removed his Chirugai from his belt, spinning it on his finger. He'd picked up the habit from Rutland, when he'd seen him taking on the action so fondly in the few instances where he _had_ managed to get a hold of the infamous weapon.

_I can't stay here,_ Kurtis thought with boredom. As exhausted as he was, he couldn't stay here and go to sleep. He needed to go out and move around. A nice ride on the back of his Honda Shadow Spirit would ease his mind. _Nothing like a good old bike ride on a rainy night,_ he sighed in his mind. He retrieved the keys from the table, as well as his gun, and turned outside the door, not bothering to lock his apartment. There wasn't anything inside worth stealing anyway.

He trudged down the stairs, past the landlord's office, and out onto the street, becoming drenched in the falling rain almost immediately. _I need a drink, _he thought to himself. A local pub was the most interesting place he could go, at this hour anyway. Kurtis started the engine of his motorbike, kicked it into first gear, released the clutch, and throttled his way down the wet street, towards the first bar he could find.

Kurtis was thankful that the pub wasn't far away. A long drive wouldn't bother him, but he was tired enough as it was, and he didn't want to risk taking chances of getting hurt by falling asleep on the road, or something else of the sort. He parked his bike on the side of the pub, out of the rain, and trudged inside. The place was surprisingly empty, seeing how the crowd usually drew in at the later hours. Kurtis sighed, seating himself at the bar. "Give me a Jenlain Blonde," he ordered, running his fingers through his hands again. He'd also adopted that stupid habit, too – Kurtis found it easier to just take on these silly little habits instead of focusing on all the thoughts that swamped his mind.

The bartender handed him his beer, and he dropped four Euros on the counter. _All this currency conversion stuff confuses me,_ Kurtis thought, trying to make sure that he'd paid no more than six US dollars for a beer. He pulled the bottle to his lips, savoring the taste. It was sweet, easy on the pallet, and had a real malty taste to it. The sweet taste almost reminded him of…

_Let's not go there,_ he thought, drawing his mind away from a certain British woman. Kurtis casually glanced backwards, noticing the similarity between this little pub and the Café Metro in Paris. He half-expected to see a thin, beautiful brunette woman coming through the door to threaten the bartender. The thought made him chuckle a bit, and he took another swig of his bottle. He heard the door open behind him, and turned around swiftly, an action that was seemingly unconditioned. He was semi-disappointed, however, to see nothing more than two men coming through the door, dressed in black pantsuits, with black shoes and black jackets. _Odd fellows,_ he thought passively, taking another drink.

A man pulled a seat up next to him. "I'll have what he's having," he told the bartender in an American accent. Kurtis slowly glanced his way, then turned his gaze back down to the green bottle before him. "I don't know much about foreign beer," he mentioned to Kurtis.

"That's nice," Kurtis murmured, trying to distance himself from any further friendliness this man might display. He didn't want to socialize – that wasn't what he was here for. The bartender handed the man his beer, and he exchanged his Euros for the alcohol. "This currency conversion stuff confuses me," the man said to Kurtis.

Kurtis glanced at him. "I was thinking the same thing."

The man chuckled, taking a drink from his beer. He glanced backwards, in the direction of the two black-clothed men who had just seated themselves in a corner table at the back. "Hoping they would be a certain someone else?" he asked Kurtis.

Kurtis eyed him suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

"They are a pair of 'odd fellows', aren't they?" he asked, grinning.

_This guy's in my head just a bit too much,_ Kurtis thought with suspicion. "They look like a normal pair of human beings to me," he said dryly.

"That's not what you were thinking a minute ago," he said, taking a slow drink from his beer. Kurtis gripped his beer tightly, wary of his Boran X hidden in his holster beneath his jacket. "You don't have to reach for your weapon, friend," the man said.

"I'm not your friend," Kurtis retorted. "And what makes you think I have a weapon?"

"Well, unless you intend to 'blow my head off' in some other way besides the use of a gun," he said, speaking Kurtis's mind, "I doubt that you're reaching for a lighter."

"Who the hell are you?" Kurtis asked in a low voice.

"I'm a lot more of a friend than you think, despite what you say," he mentioned.

"What do you want?"

"As much as I'd like to tell you, I think we should talk away from here," he said quietly.

"Yeah, sure," Kurtis said, "so you can kidnap me and take me to your private laboratory to perform some weird cannibalistic operation, am I right?"

The man sighed. "Trust me, Kurtis, when you hear what I have to say, you'll be glad you listened."

"How the hell do you know my name?" Kurtis asked quickly.

The man glanced backwards at the two men in the corner again, then faced forward, sighing. "No time for explanations right now," he said. He took a final swig of the beer and stood from his seat casually, tucking his hand into the pocket of his long trench coat. He removed his black hat long enough to run his fingers through his hair, revealing the brown tendrils that were parted at the side of his head. _He looked like an old bastard a second ago,_ Kurtis thought, now noticing the man couldn't have been any older than he was. He appeared young, and any woman on the street might think he was "handsome".

Kurtis watched the man suspiciously as he headed out the front door of the bar. He noticed that the man's beer was still half-full, and became even more suspicious of the odd stranger. The two men in the back corner rose, approaching the bar. One man appeared on both sides of Kurtis, leaning in too close for comfort. "Do you mind taking a step out of my space, guys?" he asked irritably.

"Are you Montsegur?" one of the men asked him, ignoring his request.

Kurtis sighed, looking away. Who the hell were these guys, and why were they coming up to him? He looked up at the man that had spoken to him. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, buddy," he said. "So do you mind –"

He felt the muzzle of a gun at his side, and he immediately felt anger growing in the pit of his stomach. It was strange – most people would react with fear, but he was so used to it, and so out of patience with things these days, that it just prompted a more hostile response out of him.

"We were told we'd find you here in Avignon," the other man spoke. "If you come quietly, it will make things easier for you." Kurtis sighed again, standing slowly as he laced his finger behind his head. By this point, both men were holding handguns, drilling them into his sides. One of the men removed his Chirugai and threw it to the side, much in the way Lara had done in the airlock so long ago.

The bartender emerged from the back hallway he'd been in and noticed the guns. His eyes grew wide, and he took a fearful step backwards. "Whatever is going on here," he said with a heavy French accent, "I ask you take it outside. I don't want –"

One of the men pointed his gun at the bartender and shouted at him, demanding silence. Kurtis saw his window of opportunity, and he backhanded the man, then the other. Both of them startled from the attack, but quickly regained equilibrium. Kurtis removed his weapon and dived over the edge of the bar, ordering the bartender to get down. He quickly loaded his weapon and leaned over the edge, firing at the agile enemies. _Who the hell are these guys?_ he thought.

One of the men ducked his head, and quickly rushed out the door. The other continued to fire at Kurtis. Kurtis ejected his empty clip, but immediately cursed himself for not remembering to carry another. Propelled by anger and a desire for retaliation against the attempts on his life, he quickly leapt over the bar, picking up his Chirugai on the way out. He rushed out the door, his gun at hand, cautiously peering around for his enemies. He saw them climbing onto their own motorbikes. They saw him as well and immediately opened fire. He quickly dodged the bullets and ducked behind the nearby wall. _They're not getting away so easily,_ he thought.

Kurtis was just about to hop on his bike and chase after the bastards when he noticed a blinking light on the front tire. _Those bastards set up a bomb!_ he thought frantically. He quickly dived behind the building as the explosion went off, sending his beautiful Shadow Spirit into pieces. Now, he was definitely going to hunt them down and kill them. It was one thing to threaten his life, but another to blow up his bike.

Kurtis quickly stood, preparing to chase after them on foot if he had to. As soon as he reached the street, however, a Peugeot 206 quickly pulled up, cutting him off. In the driver's seat was the same man he'd seen at the bar. Kurtis aimed his gun at him, glaring angrily. The man didn't seem to notice, much less care, as he gestured for Kurtis to open the door. "Get in!" he ordered. "We'll go after them!"

Kurtis knew better than to take rides from strangers, but this guy was possibly in some kind of predicament with the men just like Kurtis was. If he tried to take him somewhere and dismember him, or do something strange and morbid, Kurtis would be well-prepared to attack him. He quickly opened the door and climbed in. The man immediately punched the gas and drove away.

"Mind telling me who you are?" Kurtis asked. "And who they are?"

"All in good time, friend," he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Right," Kurtis scoffed. "As if this isn't as good of a time as ever."

"I'm a little preoccupied, if you didn't notice," he mentioned. Kurtis took that as a sign to shut up and let the man drive. Within moments, he saw the men on their motorbikes. They glanced around frantically, then removed their guns, firing careless shots about the Peugeot. The man swerved the vehicle a bit, but kept the car on the road for the most part. "One thing's for sure," the man said. "They don't know how to use guns."

"I'm getting a little sick and tired of you reading my mind," Kurtis said irritably.

"I wasn't," the man argued, grinning. "I thought it on my own."

"Just like the other times, right?" Kurtis asked dryly.

"No, I _was_ reading your mind those times," he said. The man peered ahead, eyeing the suspended fence that allowed entrance into the construction site just beyond the next street. "Cut it down," he ordered to Kurtis quickly.

Kurtis wasn't sure how he knew about his Chirugai, much yes how it worked, but he did as he was told. He leaned out the window and threw the Chirugai, cutting the chain that held the fence up. The man hooked a hard right, using the handbrake to bring the car to a stop. The Chirugai returned to Kurtis's grasp, and the men on the motorbike wrecked into the crashing fence, screaming in startled fear as they fell to the ground.

Both Kurtis and the man quickly got out of the car. Kurtis remembered his gun was empty, _but they don't know that._ He kept the unthreatening weapon trained on the men, but noticed the man at his side also had a gun, and kept it trained on the other. The men lay on the ground, groaning in pain. "I feel bad for the bikes," Kurtis muttered. Then, he straightened up. "Who are you, and what do you want?" he asked the man.

The man slowly sat up, groaning in pain as he did so. "I'm not telling you anything," he said.

Kurtis pretended to load a bullet into the chamber. "When I'm done with you, you'll be begging to tell me."

"We won't speak a word against our master," he said, eyeing Kurtis evilly.

"Master?" Kurtis asked. "And who could that be?"

The man chuckled. "An old friend of yours."

"I don't like enough people to have friends," Kurtis said dryly. He pressed the gun to the man's temple. "Now tell me what the hell's going on, or I'll take care of you right here and now."

The man laughed out loud, clutching his arm as it bled. "Do what you want! I'm not afraid to die." Kurtis glared evilly at him, pushing the gun harder into his head, as if it would make him talk. Then, he heard gunshots, and startled to find the stranger next to him firing two shots, one into the head of both enemies. They fell limp to the ground. Kurtis turned to him angrily. "What the hell did you do?" he asked.

"They weren't going to talk," he said.

"I could've –"

"Could've what?" he asked. "Waved your empty gun around in their face a bit more? It doesn't matter. I know who they are."

"Then explain it to me," Kurtis demanded.

"Not here," the man argued. "Away from here. How far is your home?"

Kurtis sighed, giving up the fight. "Just a few blocks from the pub."

About ten minutes later, the man parked the Peugeot outside of Kurtis's dingy apartment. They trudged up the stairs and into the small apartment. Kurtis attempted to switch on the light, but found it didn't work. _Forgot to pay the electricity bill again,_ he sighed in his mind. He reached for a loaded clip on the table nearby, loaded his gun, and turned to train the weapon on the stranger's head. The man sighed, setting his hat on the nearby table. "There's no need for that," he said.

"How do I know that?" Kurtis argued.

"Fair enough," the man agreed. "My name is Davis."

"How did you know my name?" he asked.

"My father was a…friend…of your father's," he said. "Konstantin."

Kurtis lowered his weapon at the sound of his father's name. "Who was your father?"

"Martinus Aicard."

"Aicard?" Kurtis asked quickly. He thought long and hard for a moment, finally lowering his weapon all the way to his side. Then, he looked back up at the man. "You're Lux Veritatis," he declared slowly, "a descendent of one of the eight brothers."

"Well, if you're speaking of _this_ generation," the man said, "I _am_ one of the eight brothers – and so are you."

Kurtis recalled this fact solemnly. "Of course," he said. "The eighth generation is…"

"Dead," Davis finished quietly. "Yes. And all the generations before it, as well – thanks to the Cabal."

Kurtis nodded, looking away. He set his gun on the table. "So that's how you were able to read my mind," he said, sighing in relief.

Davis chuckled. "Of course," he said, "though I couldn't explain that in the open with those bastards so close by."

"Yeah, who were they?" he asked.

Davis drew in a deep breath, gazing out the window. "They were followers of the Black Alchemist."

"The Black Alchemist?" Kurtis asked. "That's impossible. He's dead."

"No?" the man asked, facing him. "Then how was it that he was able to find another of our brothers in the United Kingdom?"

"What are you talking about?" Kurtis asked, not following.

"Garin Limoux," Davis said. "He was living in Kent for the time being, but somehow, he was tracked down by the Black Alchemist, the leader of the Cabal. The man – or _thing_, whatever it was – tracked him down and nearly killed him. He had no choice but to move away. Now, he's living in Amiens, here in France. He would've come to find you himself, but since the Black Alchemist had already nearly killed him, he asked that I do it instead."

"It still doesn't make sense," Kurtis argued. "I _saw_ Eckhardt die with my own eyes."

"Eckhardt?" he asked. "No, it's not Eckhardt."

"But _he's_ the Black Alchemist," Kurtis said. Then, it hit him, and he gazed away slowly. "Unless…" He looked up at Davis. "Do you remember his name?"

"It was something strange," Davis explained. "Carl, or something…"

"Karel!" Kurtis exclaimed. "Was it Karel?"

"Yes," Davis agreed, "it was."

Kurtis sighed, leaning over his table. Twice, now, he'd had to track down and kill Karel, and still, he wasn't dead. This would make a third time – and the final time, he hoped. He pushed away from the table. "Why did Limoux send you to find me?"

"I'd heard before of your encounters with the Cabal, and how you'd tracked them down all the way to Prague," he explained. "Garin told me that it was necessary to find you first, that you would help us to stop this madman." He took a few steps towards Kurtis. "He didn't explain everything. He said he wanted to wait until all of the brothers were reunited."

"All of the brothers?" Kurtis asked. "All eight?"

"All eight," he agreed. "Finding them will be the hard part."

"Well, including us two and Limoux, we only have five to go," Kurtis sighed. "Why does he need to wait until we're reunited?"

"He didn't explain that part," Davis shrugged. "He only ordered that I find you and bring you back to Amiens as soon as possible. He's also summoned for more help."

"One of the brothers?" Kurtis asked.

"No," he said. "He's called for help from some woman in London. He claims she knows as much about the Cabal and Karel as you do. He requested her help just three days ago, when I started on my way here from my own home in Bordeaux."

Kurtis's heart skipped a beat. _Lara?_ he thought. It had to be. She was the one in a hundred million women in London who knew as much about the Cabal and Karel as Kurtis did.

In the past three months, he'd made as much of an effort as possible to keep his mind off of Lara and everything surrounding her. She'd made it clear that she didn't want anything to do with him, and he'd allowed it, as much as it broke his heart. Now though, it seemed that fate was bringing them together, and he very well couldn't resist it, otherwise, his brothers would be murdered off, and he and Lara likely would be as well. He may not have wanted to see Lara, on the behalf of her desire for the most part, but he wouldn't let any harm fall upon his brothers, and certainly not upon her. If he had to breach this unwritten contract of intruding in on her "space", he would do it to protect the people and beliefs that needed protecting.

"So what, then?" Kurtis asked. "He's called this woman into Amiens?"

"Yes," Davis confirmed. "We're to meet with them as soon as we get there. I suggest you get packing. We need to leave Avignon as soon as possible, preferably tonight. God only knows how many more of Karel's mercenaries will come out in the next few hours."

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**So there you have it. Kurtis has discovered one of his Lux Veritatis brothers. Let me tell you, it was hell trying to find a source to get all the LV names from...HELL. But it all worked out. R&R please! Will update Sunday night (my time)!!**


	2. Amiens, France

**I see some familiar faces!! XD Glad to have you guys back haha. Well here is Chapter 2, which explains a lot more on Lara's side of the rope. Read on!**

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**Lara headed into the tech room, carrying the letter she'd received from Amiens, France, at hand. The words repeated in her head over and over again - _Lux Veritatis in trouble. Come immediately to listed address._ She wasn't sure if it was Kurtis, but who else could it be? And if it _was_ Kurtis, what was he doing in France? No matter the condition between them, she needed to know that he was okay. She showed it to Zip immediately, extending it in his direction. "What do you make of this?"

Zip leaned forward over the desk, taking the letter from her hand to read it over. "Is it from…?" Although Zip didn't know what had happened between Lara and Kurtis, and knew he had no right to ask in the first place, he couldn't help but ask if the letter was sent from him.

"I don't know," Lara admitted. She paced the tech room, apparently in deep concentration.

"Lara," Zip said slowly. She looked up at him, and he knew she was trying to appear as though nothing was wrong. "I don't know what happened between you two, but if he's in trouble, I think you should go to France and check things out."

"I should call first," she said, trying to reason. "It'd be a bit weird to just show up, don't you think?"

"If that were the case, they would've left a number," Zip said, dropping the letter on the desktop.

"Yes, but you could get one for me, right?" she asked.

Zip sighed. "It doesn't feel right, Lara…"

Lara knew he was right, and she immediately felt bad for trying to get her friend to do the dirty work for her. She closed her eyes, sighing. "You're right," she admitted. "I should…I should go. I wouldn't want any harm befalling him, no matter what's gone on in the past." She picked up the letter, folding it and tucking it into her back pocket. "I'll get packing for France then. Can you arrange a flight for me?"

"Of course."

Lara sighed to herself, heading upstairs to pack appropriate attire. As she folded her clothing into a large suitcase, she couldn't help but wonder if this was possibly some ploy on Kurtis's behalf to draw her out of her hiding place in London, and back into his world. _No_, she reasoned. _Kurtis isn't that desperate. If he really wanted to talk to me, he would just come to London and speak to me. It's not like it's that hard to find me here…_

Lara knew she had pushed Kurtis out of her life, attempting to make it for good. She'd returned to London after the excursion to find the Fountain of Youth, after Rutland and Andrea had both died, and after she had told Kurtis that he was better off without her, that the situation was more practical if they just went their own ways. _Practical for whom?_ Kurtis had asked. _Certainly not for you…_Then Lara had proceeded to tell him to bugger off. He left at 3:26 a.m. from the hotel in Honduras. Neither of them spoke a word of goodbye.

Lara had cried herself to sleep that night – well, sleep, translated as three hours. Then, she awoke the following morning, greeted Zip and Alister in the next room, told them Kurtis had decided to leave early, and proceeded to pack her things up, returning to London the next evening. She convinced herself that acting like nothing had happened was the best way to move on. She purged herself of her thoughts and feelings for Kurtis, fought desperately not to think of his beautiful blue eyes, his soft touch, the smell of his skin…

_There I go again,_ Lara thought. The funny thing was that she'd made an effort to rid herself of him in the hopes that neither of them would get hurt, and that they would just move on, acting like they always had, but in turn, she seemed to find herself fighting off the thoughts of him more and more than she ever would have regardless. Maybe she should've just said goodbye to him. A smooth, clean break heals faster than a rough, dirty break, a lot like the one they'd – _she'd_ – strained over their relationship.

Lara sighed, closing her suitcase shut and sealing the secure straps over it. _Now onto the weapons,_ she thought happily. Perhaps the best part of her adventures was packing up the weapons the day of departure. It gave her a chance to turn the firearms over in her hand, to assemble and disassemble the rifles and shotguns. She was like a kid in a candy shop with those things. Of course, knowing of her departure, Zip would already be in the artillery room, loading up the guns as she packed.

_I can't let him have all the fun, _Lara thought, and proceeded down the stairs, dragging her suitcase along with her. She dropped it into the hallway and headed eagerly towards the back room, where Zip and Alister were talking in whispers, hovering over the weapons displayed along the table.

"What's all the chatter?" Lara asked curiously.

Zip and Alister faced her upon her entrance. Alister chuckled nervously, clearing his throat. "Nothing's wrong," he said simply.

"I didn't ask if anything was _wrong_…" Lara told him, picking up a shotgun from the table and wiping it down with a rag. "I asked what was the chatter about…?"

Alister sighed. "Lara, don't you think the whole thing is a bit suspicious?"

"Don't be silly, Alister," she reasoned. "What is so suspicious about it?"

"Well, you don't talk to the man for over three months, and all of a sudden he wants your help for God-knows-what. What if it's a trap?"

Lara returned the shotgun to the table, taking Alister's suspicions lightly. "It's Kurtis," she said flatly. "Why would he try to 'trap' me?"

"And what's he doing in France?" Alister continued.

"I don't know, that's why I'm going there to find out."

"Do you recall the last time you were in France?" Alister pointed out dryly. "You were wanted by the authorities. For _murder_."

"And that's not the case now, is it?" she pointed out, loading several clips of ammunition into a nearby weapons suitcase.

"Then why are you packing so many weapons? If he just wants a chat –"

"He said there's trouble," Lara reminded him. "And I can't go _anywhere _without my handy weapons."

Alister sighed. "If you say so, Lara. I just wish you'd think it over."

"I have thought it over," she confirmed. "And I'm going to France." Lara sealed the suitcase shut, lugging it down the hall with her other luggage. Despite Alister's failure to prove a valid argument to a jury, Lara knew in her heart that all he was warning her against was a complete possibility. Who else, though, would know of her relationship with anything regarding the Lux Veritatis, except the Cabal and Karel, who were already long gone?

_Karel_, she thought, shuddering. Of course it couldn't be him. Kurtis said he'd taken care of him – how had he managed to survive anyway? _The story of my life,_ Lara sighed in her mind. Her enemies just never knew when to die.

"I've arranged for a private aircraft to pick you up here in ten minutes," Zip said, entering the hallway.

"That's perfect," Lara thanked him. She sighed, gazing over the luggage set about in the hallway. She couldn't believe after three months, after such a harsh departure from the man she loved, she was going to see him again, in just two short hours.

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The small Cessna 172 set Lara down at a distant landing strip on the outskirts of Amiens. _So I'm here now,_ she thought. _Where to next?_ She glanced over the return address in the upper left corner of the envelope, then glanced down at a map in her right hand. She was only two short blocks from the street listed in the address. Sighing, she tucked the map into the pocket inside her jean jacket. She returned the letter to her back pocket, and set foot north, knowing she would arrive at her location in five minutes maximum.

Amiens was certainly not a big city – it looked more like a pass-through town for people who docked boats and ferries after crossing over through the English Channel. All of that was fine by Lara. The less people around, the easier it was to do business. She reached the street she had been looking for, and looked up to see an almost-replica of the Croft Manor. The house was huge, with several fountains in the front yard, a nice, beautiful garden, and Gothic-style pillars adorning the wrap-around "porch". Amiens may not have been anything more than a commune, but there _were_ a few things worth seeing.

_Kurtis lives here?_ Lara thought, shocked. _What budget does he live on?_ Perhaps he was living with someone. Then again, perhaps, after all, the letter wasn't from him. Perhaps she was just in denial.

Lara drew in a deep breath and headed towards the front door. There was a buzzer underneath the doorbell, and she pressed it. Seconds later, a voice with a French accent greeted her. "_Oui?_" the male voice asked. "Can I help you?"

"My name is Lara Croft," she said slowly, hoping that her name wouldn't set off any unwanted attention. "I was summoned here by request in a letter."

"Ah, yes," the man said. "The master is expecting you. Please, come in." The front door opened, and a man in butler's attire opened the door, bowing slightly at the waist to show respect to the guest. He gestured down the hallway, Lara's heavy boots clicking against the marble floors. She followed the butler down the hall, into the back room, where a fire was built in the fireplace, and a silver platter with tea was set out. She glanced around discretely, noticing that there was no one in the room. Then, she heard another voice from the hallway down the right. "Ah, Miss Croft," he spoke with an American accent.

Lara turned to see the man approaching her. He was tall, with brown eyes and jet black hair messily combed back. His face had stubble in some areas, indicating that he obviously hadn't shaved in a few days. Beneath that, he looked like a rather attractive man, not much older than she was. "Yes," she greeted him. "And you are…?"

"Forgive me," he said, smiling subtly at his rudeness. "My name is Limoux. Garin Limoux."

_Limoux..._Lara thought, trying to figure out where she'd heard that name before. Somewhere in the past…the distant past…

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Your name…it just sounds familiar."

"Hm," he said simply. He gestured for Lara to seat herself on the nearby futon. "Would you like some tea?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she said, seating herself. "I just want to know why I'm here."

"Where is it that you think you've heard my name?" he asked, seemingly ignoring her request.

"I'm not sure," she shrugged.

"Think about it…" he said grinning, revealing dimples in his cheeks. He picked up a cup of tea, taking a sip, and set it back down on the platter.

Lara pondered for a moment, wishing she really could figure out where she'd heard it before. She sighed, giving up. "I really don't know," she said.

"Perhaps in a certain…vault?"

Then, it hit her. "The Vault of Trophies," she blurted out. "Yes, but how did you…?"

"I am Lux Veritatis," he explained. "I am the one who summoned you through the letter you received."

Lara's heart sank – a part of her had still had hope that Kurtis would be just in the other room, waiting to come out. It was a long-shot, but she'd still had hope. "No doubt," Lara said, piecing everything together. "But I don't understand…"

"How many other statues did you see in the Vault?" he asked.

Lara thought for a moment. "Seven…?" she guessed.

"There were eight," he corrected her. "Eight brothers. And there still are eight brothers. I am the Limoux brother of the ninth generation. My father before me, Rein Limoux, was killed by the Cabal. Since his death, and the death of all the other Lux Veritatis, I have made a special effort to remain hidden away from too-curious minds."

"Such as…?" Lara asked.

He took another sip of his tea, remaining casual. "A man named Karel."

"Karel?" Lara asked, unease settling in her stomach. "What do you mean? He's dead."

"Far from it," Garin argued. "He tracked me down to Kent in the United Kingdom just six months ago. I couldn't risk him finding me again, so I moved here to Amiens. It was just three months ago, though, that I decided to put an end to Karel's madness."

"You 'decided'?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes," he said simply.

"And this home isn't at all conspicuous…" she pointed out dryly.

"The exact opposite from where I was before," he explained. "I'm hoping Karel won't think of it that way."

"He may be an irritating bastard," Lara said, "but he's not stupid. If he wants to find you, he will."

"You sound more fearful than threatening, Miss Croft."

"I've seen what he can do –"

"And so have I," he reminded her. "He's not to be taken lightly."

"Yet here you are, sipping tea," she pointed out.

He sighed. "I do my best to keep a level-head," he said calmly. "But Karel…he is a threat. Not just to us brothers, but to all of humanity."

"Of course," Lara said. "So what is it that you need my help with? Tracking him down and killing him, or protecting you?"

He chuckled. "I can take care of myself, Miss Croft. That's the least of my concerns. There are others to worry about."

"Others?"

"The seven brothers," he said. Then, he gazed past Lara and out the window. He sighed, removing his cell phone from his pocket, dialing a number. "Davis, it's Garin," he said. "We'll meet in Paris. There's trouble here in Amiens. Have you got Montsegur?" He listened to the voice on the other line for a moment, then nodded. "Three brothers are not enough. We'll meet in Paris. I'll explain it all there." He hung up the phone and faced Lara. "That pistol you're carrying won't be enough for what's coming this way," he said.

Lara grinned, removing her weapon from her jacket. "I make my own luck," she told him.

He grinned back at her, removing a weapon from a nearby drawer, and moved along the back hallway, preparing for action. Lara followed after him, her only weapon held low, her footsteps light.

"Now, Miss Croft, I understand how you have a particular affinity for gunfire and combat," he said quietly, "but our objective is simply to get out of the house alive, and avoid confrontation as much as possible."

"Talk about taking the fun out of life," she muttered.

"You'll have your fair share eventually," he said. "For now, we need to get out through the back. There is a pair of motorbikes waiting. We'll make our way to them and then head into Paris."

Garin peered around the corner, noticing several mercenaries waiting by the front door. He sighed, pulling his body out of sight, and gestured for Lara to head down the other hallway. "I must get something before we leave," he said.

"If it's weapons you need, I have plenty," she said.

"It's far more important," he said. "Make your way out of the mansion. I'll meet you outside."

Lara wasn't sure what Garin was talking about, but whatever it was, there was no use in protesting that he depart without it. He headed down a nearby hallway in stealth, then up the stairs leading to the second level of the manor. Lara peered around the corner, just in time to see one of the mercenaries shatter the glass of the front door with the butt of his rifle. Lara moved down the back hallway, not sure where all these rooms led, but determined to make it out safely.

As she neared what appeared to be an exit, she saw the shadows of mercenaries on the other side. _Bugger,_ she thought quickly. She knew Garin had said to avoid confrontation at all costs, but it looked like it would be inevitable. She heard footsteps in the front room, and knew that if she didn't move quickly, they would find her – and kill her.

Lara glanced to the side, noticing a white bottle in the glass cabinet just behind her. _Chloroform?_ she thought. It was odd that Garin had it, but perhaps he was paranoid with the possibility of Karel coming about in a moment's time. She quietly reached into the cabinet, removed the chloroform, and doused the accompanying rag. She tucked herself into a back corner, waiting for the guards to come through. They spoke military lingo to each other via headset, moving with the stealth of a hostage rescue team. Karel had certainly updated his work force since her last encounter with him.

She waited for the right moment – when the first guard came through the hallway to clear the zone, she grabbed him and smothered the cloth over his mouth. He put up a small struggle, but immediately passed out. Lara set his body down on the ground quietly, slinging his assault rifle over her shoulder, and strapping three grenades onto the back of her belt. She took the Glock from the small shoulder holster and tucked it into her empty holster. Now, she felt more secure.

Another guard was coming her way. She tucked herself back into the corner as he proceeded past the entry of the hall. Then, she snuck out as quietly as possible, without being noticed. There were two more guards coming down the hallway. When they approached, she elbowed one in the face, kicked the other in the groin, and then hit both of them on the backs of their heads with the butt of her rifle, sending them unconscious. Fortunately, no one had yet heard the scuffles.

Lara saw light coming from a door in the distance. _That must be the back way out,_ she thought. _But where is Garin?_ She hoped that he was as skilled of a Lux Veritatis warrior as Kurtis was, and would make it out unharmed. Lara backed towards the door, keeping her focus on the paths that lay before her so as not to be ambushed by any mercenaries. Then, she bumped into something – someone? – and immediately spun around, drawing her pistols. Garin stood behind her, pushing her wrist out of his face, so the possibility of careless fire wouldn't be sent out in his direction. He quickly released her arm, then gestured towards the back door. They quietly made their way over, until Lara heard a voice calling that nearly sent her into cardiac arrest.

"Miss Croft…" the male voice called. Lara knew it was Karel. She immediately turned to face the enemy. Garin quickly ducked away, behind the nearby wall, as not to be seen by Karel. He hid himself in the darkened corner, close to the window. Law saw him, in her peripheral, attempting to open the window to make escape. Lara would have to stall Karel, and that thought scared her the most.

"Joachim Karel," she greeted him. "It's been awhile."

"It certainly has," he said. Lara could see his silhouette in the distance, the blonde locks becoming visible as random strays of light passed through the hallway.

"Might I ask what you're doing here?" Lara asked, trying to remain casual.

"Looking for someone," he said dryly.

"Now, Karel," she chided. "You know that if you can't reach me at home, it's because I'm on vacation – which is precisely why I'm here in Amiens in my stately manor."

Karel chuckled. "Nice try, Miss Croft," he said, "but your mind games won't work. I'm not here for you, as you well know. I'm here for the Lux Veritatis warrior."

"Kurtis isn't here," she said. "I haven't seen him since Prague." Lara knew he couldn't possibly be referring to Kurtis, but playing dumb might help her get some answers – and save the lives of more than a few people. Even in the darkness, however, she saw his face knit into confusion. _Does he really think it was Kurtis that he would find here?_ she thought hopefully, in order to protect Garin's identity.

"Don't play stupid, Miss Croft," he chided. "I know you've made contact with him since then."

"How could you possibly know that?" she asked, more delighted over the idea that he was still dwelling on Kurtis, and not Garin. She heard the scrape of metal against glass, and knew that Garin had managed to open the window. _Now if I could just get away from Karel…_she thought.

"Because when he left America, after foolishly thinking he'd defeated me, he left to find you," he explained.

"Perhaps we did make contact," Lara said simply. "But I don't know where he is now."

"Yet here you are, in the home of a Lux Veritatis warrior. Unless it's not Kurtis whom you're with…?"

"Are you implying that there are other Lux Veritatis?" she asked. "And here I thought you and the Cabal had so mercilessly killed them all."

The fearful green glow of power began to power up around the fist held at his side. "Your childish games are getting old," he said evilly. "If you won't tell me where he is, then I'll just kill you and the rest of them myself!" Before Karel sent the green bolt of energy her way, Lara dived to the side. She quickly regained her footing, following after Garin as he climbed out the window. They sprinted around the opposite side of the house to find the pair of Ducati Superbikes waiting patiently to be ridden.

Lara grinned as she straddled her bike, starting the engine. "How'd you know?" she asked, assuming he already knew she was referring to his knowledge of her preference of the Ducati.

Garin twisted the throttle to warm the engine as it idled for a moment. "It's the best," he said simply. He kicked the bike into first gear and sped down the street, Lara following close behind, knowing that if she fell behind for even a second, a warm, sharp green bolt of pain would overtake her, and she'd be finished.

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**I guess Karel is a pretty good baddie =D Well, there you have it! R&R please!! Ch 3 will be up by Wednesday, May 6!**


	3. Animosity?

**Back again, back again! :)**

**To inmate1099, let me just say it now - I did not even write an explanation for how Karel survived. Terrible, huh? I've been just stuck in the mentality that he could likely still be alive, I didn't even bother to address that...so I apologize. But he's Karel...he seemingly can outwit any attempts on his life XD What a bastard! I do make a bit of a note about your question in here, though.**

**Anyway, well read on!! =D  
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It was raining all over France. _Just great,_ Kurtis thought sarcastically, pulling his bike into a parking lot behind a small Parisian café – despite the fact that it was three o'clock in the morning. Davis assured him that this particular café was always open.

Kurtis sighed as he switched the engine of his bike off, amazed that it had made it all the way from Avignon to Paris on one tank. Besides that, he was soaked to the bone from the fallen rain, and he was completely exhausted, on the verge of passing out as soon as he stood to his feet.

"Let's go in," Davis suggested. Kurtis ran his fingers through his wet hair, following his Lux Veritatis brother into the dimly-lit café. There was no one about. Even the bartender wasn't in sight. "This place is perfect for resting up and chatting," Davis said. "People hardly come in, even during operating hours."

Kurtis glanced about the place casually, then took a seat in the back corner behind one of the tables, grateful to sit down, and do so somewhere dry. He drew in a deep breath, leaning his head back, and closing his eyes, hoping to catch a few z's before this Limoux character showed up.

Kurtis startled when he heard Davis seat himself at the table, setting a small teacup before him with steam rising from it. "Drink it," he ordered. "It'll wake you up."

"A voodoo serum?" Kurtis asked, taking the drink into his hands to smell the aroma.

Davis chuckled. "No, it's tea."

"I'm not a fan of tea," Kurtis said, starting to push it away.

Davis pushed the cup towards his face. "Drink it," he ordered, more firmly than before. "You need to be alert."

Kurtis sighed, taking a sip of the beverage, and finding it wasn't as bad as he'd expected. "Can't I just go to sleep?" he asked. "That will make me more alert."

"We have things to do before we can rest," Davis said. Kurtis sighed, figuring there was no harm in taking another drink of the tea. If it woke him up, he was going to need as much as he could get. Davis, however, appeared to be ready as ever. He constantly glanced about the café, drumming his fingers on the table. Kurtis eyed him suspiciously. "Nervous?"

Davis met his eyes, and stopped drumming his fingers. "Of course not," he said. "Just anxious."

"Same damn thing," Kurtis muttered. "What are the chances of Karel finding us?"

"High," he said. "But for now, we'll be okay."

"That's promising," Kurtis sighed. He realized he sounded a lot like a whiney child, but he was just as much on the edge as Davis. Karel was a madman, and was nearly unstoppable. That was enough to put _anyone_ on the edge.

The doorbell to the front entrance rang, indicating customers. Both Kurtis and Davis looked up quickly, as if expecting an enemy. Kurtis was sure he even reached for his gun, but he was too tired to entirely recall if he really had or hadn't. Davis eased upon seeing Garin Limoux. Kurtis eased as well, noticing his comrade do the same, but immediately tensed again upon seeing the face of a beautiful brunette woman. He knew she saw him too, and must've had the same reaction, because she stopped in her footsteps for a moment, locking eyes with him.

Garin approached Davis at the table. "An easy night?" Davis asked.

"Unfortunately not," Garin replied wearily. "Karel was in Amiens."

"Wait…what?" Kurtis interrupted, breaking his gaze with Lara.

"Yes," Garin said, turning to him as he took a seat at the table. "Fortunately, Miss Croft drew his attention away from me and convinced him that it was actually _you_ who was in Amiens."

"Fortunately?" Kurtis asked.

Lara seated herself at the table, seemingly looking through Kurtis more than at him. "Yes," she replied. "I play my cards carefully."

"Always a bit too carefully," Kurtis added hollowly.

Lara knew he wasn't talking about the incident with Karel – he was talking about them. He was talking about her overanalyzing their relationship, and in turn, throwing it away in fear. He had barely made eye contact with her, and already, he was sending blows her way. She glared at him for the briefest moment, then eased up, trying to keep her anger at bay. "Better than being overambitious," she shot back.

"Not always," he returned.

"You two know each other?" Davis asked Kurtis.

"Yeah," Kurtis said, monotone. "We met two years ago, searching for the Cabal."

"Hence why I called on for her help," Garin interrupted. "She may not be Lux Veritatis, but she's just about as capable, and at the least, knows as much as necessary."

"Of course," Davis added, indirectly giving his blessing of having Lara on the "team".

"Now what exactly is all of this about?" Lara asked, turning to Garin. "You've hardly explained anything."

"I was waiting until the four of us were together," he said. "Karel is a threat to humanity, no doubt, but to us possibly even more. He'd love nothing more than to kill all eight of the brothers and take over like a masked assailant."

"So how do we stop him?" Kurtis asked. "Apparently, our ways didn't work before."

"Apparently," Garin echoed. "Our first task is to find the remaining five brothers, and as can be expected, Karel will be adamant on keeping us from completing such a task."

"Why is that?" Lara asked.

"If all eight of the brothers are united, we can put an end to Karel and the Cabal for good. Like I said, though, we have to find the others first."

"Which doesn't sound so simple…?" Lara put in.

"Undoubtedly," Garin agreed. "We have absolutely no idea where any of them are, what they look like, their names, anything. For all we know, they could be in a submarine in the Pacific Ocean."

"That's promising," Lara said, echoing Kurtis's earlier remark.

"There must be a way to find them," Kurtis said. "How is it that Karel keeps finding us?"

"I'm not sure," Garin said. "Besides the fact that he's got every damned mercenary on the planet looking for us…"

"If he's finding us with such simplicity," Davis put in, "then God only knows how easy it will be for him to find the younger brothers."

"Their inexperience will speak for itself," Garin agreed, sighing. "I _do_ know where one of the brothers is, come to think of it – Vasiley. Kyran Vasiley."

"Where?" Kurtis demanded.

"In Athens, Greece," he said. "Our fathers never exactly got along, and a bitter separation sent the Vasileys to Greece, as far away from the Limouxs as they could get. I doubt my reunion with Kyran will be pleasant…"

"But you didn't explain _how_ the reunion of the brothers could defeat Karel…" Kurtis added.

Garin sighed, hesitating for a brief moment. "Each brother possessed a magical weapon – the only weapon that can truly kill Karel."

"Not the Periapt Shard?" Kurtis asked irritably, annoyed that those 'fabled shards' hadn't done the job permanently - and on that note, neither had the Sanglyph.

"For the Nephilim, yes. For Karel, no."

"What makes him so special?" Lara asked.

"He's been among humans long enough," Garin said. "Perhaps he adapted."

"Hm," Lara said. "Go on…"

"The weapons are called the Hasta de Lumina_, _or Dagger of Light. The daggers must then be returned to the Templus Veritas, or the Temple of Light. Once that is done, they reveal the legendary Lux Veritatis weapon that can defeat Karel."

"And where is this 'Temple of Light'?" Lara asked curiously.

"No one knows," Garin said. "But we'll find it, without a doubt. We can't risk not doing so."

"Of course," Lara said. "And the guarantee of this actually working this time? Forgive me if I'm a bit reluctant to believe all of this."

"It's a one-hundred-percent guarantee," Garin assured her. "So long as all of the brothers have their daggers…?" He turned to Kurtis, who looked on, confused.

"I never received a hand-me-down dagger," Kurtis said.

"Then your father hid it somewhere," Garin confirmed, "and we must find it."

"Somewhere in Salt Lake City…" Kurtis said slowly. "Beneath the ruins."

Even with the angry tension between the two of them, Lara could still sense the pain in his heart from the loss of his home and family in Utah. Now, having to trek back into the destroyed memories, she could feel the pain coming through stronger than ever. She caught his gaze for a moment, wishing she could communicate some words of console to him, but he broke away, returning his hollow stare to Garin as he continued.

"Then we'll go to Salt Lake City," Garin said. "It's not like we won't be traveling the world anyway, searching for the brothers and what not."

"Yeah, sure," Kurtis muttered.

"You don't sound so certain about it," Davis said, noticing Kurtis's unease.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "It's fine," was all he said. Kurtis sighed quietly, looking up to meet Lara's gaze once again. Every time he'd looked into her eyes since she'd walked into the café, they'd bore a look of irritation, despise even, as though she wanted nothing to do with him. Perhaps it was just confusion masked by a hardened shell – it was, after all, Lara. Nothing was simple. Now, though, he could've sworn he was seeing compassion, even empathy, and it made him almost angry. _What gives her the right to feel sorry for me all of a sudden? _he thought angrily. _She chooses a damn fine time to care._ He knew he shouldn't be upset, but he couldn't help the way he felt. She broke his heart, and now wanted to offer him her sympathy. He didn't want it.

"If you insist," Garin said. "Then, tomorrow, you and I will go to Salt Lake City and find the dagger. Davis and Lara will go to Greece to find Vasiley. I think he will come easier if it's not me directly summoning."

"I thought you said you had no idea who the other brothers were?" Lara mentioned.

"Only Vasiley and Davis, and now Kurtis," Garin explained. "The rest are unknown."

"That should make it easy to get them to come along," Lara said sarcastically.

"Persuasion is key," Garin said. "They'll understand when they see what their other brothers are capable of. Just make sure to keep a low profile. We wouldn't want to run into Karel again."

"What makes you think he didn't track you guys here?" Davis asked.

"Nothing makes me think that," Garin said. "It's wishful thinking."

"So what then?" Kurtis asked. "We head out from here?"

"Perhaps we should hold off for a few hours," Davis thought. "We wouldn't want Karel getting comfortable."

"Where do you suggest we go?" Garin asked rhetorically. "There isn't a place on this planet that is safe from Karel."

"Perhaps not," Lara chipped in, "but it's only two hours from here to my home in London. We can rest and then leave late tomorrow evening."

"Karel would likely look to your home first," Garin said.

"Oh, no doubt," Lara agreed, "but it's safer than staying in some hotel. We have a top-of-the-line security system set up – a bit more insurance than we'd be offered elsewhere."

Garin sighed. "True," he agreed. "And how do you propose we get there?"

"My pilot is still in Amiens," she said. "He will fly here, pick us up, and take us back to London. We should be there in two hours. There's plenty of room for everyone."

"Then take care of it," Garin directed. "We don't want to idle too long."

Lara rose and stepped away from the table, removing her cell phone from her pocket to call home. After a few rings, Zip answered. "Zip, it's Lara," she said. "Sorry to call so late. I need you to arrange for the pilot to pick us up in Paris and take us back to London. We'll be having some guests, so if you could have Winston prepare three rooms, I'd greatly appreciate it." Zip spoke on the other line, confirming her orders, and then the call ended. Lara returned to the three men at the table. "The plane should be here in twenty minutes," Lara said.

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Winston locked the door behind Lara and her guests as they entered the manor shortly after five o'clock a.m. Each one dragged his feet, and each one could barely keep his eyes open. Winston assured them that their rooms were ready, and that if there was anything they needed, he would happily dote on them. He led them up the stairs, around the corner, and to their bedrooms as Lara entered the tech room to find Zip in his usual place, although this time, his head was leaned over the neck rest, his music was playing, and he was asleep. Lara suppressed a small giggle at the sight of her friend, turning off the music. He awakened, stretching and yawning. "I was listening to that," he muttered.

"Sure you were," she disagreed.

"Everything situated?" he asked.

"Winston is showing them to their rooms. We're to rest until later this evening, and then we'll be off on our usual world tours."

"Where are you going this time?" Zip asked.

"Davis and I are going to Greece," she explained, "and Garin and Kurtis are going to the States."

"Well, there shouldn't be anything to worry about here," he said. "I've made sure the security system is set up. I've got cameras hooked up, switched on, and your classic death traps ready for intruders."

"You _do_ look after me!" Lara cooed.

Zip sighed. "I do my best."

"Well, you've done fine," Lara said.

"Go get some sleep," Zip urged. "I'll watch the cameras. Alister is asleep, but in about two hours, he should be up. He can help keep an eye out, too."

"Lovely," Lara said, suppressing a yawn. "I'll certainly take up that offer. I'm going to need all the sleep I can get."

Lara turned to leave, but Zip stopped her. "How is Kurtis?" he asked slowly.

She faced him, trying to appear casual. "The same as ever," she said, as though they'd been friends for years.

"Well, at least all is okay. For the most part, I mean."

"Yes," Lara agreed nonchalantly. "For the most part." She turned away, heading up the stairs for her own room. The sight of her bed was the most welcoming thing she'd seen in hours, and she crawled into it almost immediately. She drew in a deep breath, lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. Then, she thought of Kurtis. _Dammit,_ she thought. _The minute my mind is still, it turns to him._ It always seemed to be that way, for whatever reason, and no matter how hard she tried to push him out of her thoughts.

He was just down the hall. All she had to do was get up, walk several paces to the right, and open a door. There he would be, likely asleep already, shirtless and lying on his stomach, brown tendrils of hair falling over his eyes. He always looked that way when he slept – so deceivingly peaceful, one who didn't know him would think he was just another guy. He was anything but that, at least to Lara.

What would that say of her, though, if she got up and went to his room? Her pride would collapse, and right now, that was the only thing she had to rest on. He didn't want anything to do with her, clearly. If he did, he would've paid her a visit sometime within the last three months. Perhaps, though, when she'd said she wanted space, he took it for what it was worth – truth. Lara _did_ want space, no doubt – she wanted to keep her individualism, yet she still wanted to be his. As hard as it had been for the past three months, trying to forget about Kurtis Trent, it was possibly even harder now, with him just down the hall, tempting her to go to him.

_Oh, who am I kidding?_ Lara asked herself. She tossed the covers aside and rose from the bed, tiptoeing to the door as if she were a child sneaking out of bed. She opened the door and quietly went down the hall. She drew in a deep breath, leaning closely to his door. She reached a hand up to knock, but stopped halfway. Then, she closed her eyes, drawing in another deep breath, and knocked gently, three times. She waited for a moment, then heard movement on the other side. After another moment, the door opened, just wide enough for Lara to see that Kurtis had no shirt on. He leaned one hand against the doorframe, the other holding the door open only a few inches. "Yeah?" was all he said.

"I was just…" she said slowly. "I just thought I'd check on you – make sure everything is to your liking."

"To my liking?" he scoffed. "I'm in a goddamn castle in London. I have nothing to complain about."

Lara chuckled a bit, assuming it was more of a joke than irritability erupting within him from her impeding on his sleep time. "I thought I'd make sure you were settled in properly."

"Everything's fine," he assured her. "I just need some sleep."

Lara nodded slowly, taking that as the hint to leave. "Alright," she said quietly. "I'll see you in the afternoon, then. Goodnight."

She turned away, feeling embarrassed that she had even thought to go to his door in the first place. She cursed herself in her mind walking back to her room without a backwards glance.

Kurtis sighed quietly, closing the door shut again. He climbed back into the most luxurious bed he'd slept on in ages, glancing at the clock that read 5:26 a.m. Here he was, in the stately home of the woman he was in love with – the woman who had his heart. Here he was, just a hallway away from the bed that she slept in. Here he was, just waiting for her to come back and tell him that she wanted him, that she was wrong to have let him go.

_Would you really be happy to hear that?_ Kurtis asked himself. _To know that she's just jerking you around?_ He knew Lara wasn't doing it on purpose, but it still hurt. First, she'd told him that she didn't want to be with him because it was so impractical. Was that her speaking honestly, or was that her stepping out of the game before she could lose? _She wouldn't lose,_ Kurtis thought. _There's nothing to lose by loving me._ Lara didn't see it that way, though. She was scared, more than she would admit, that he was going to break her heart. That was the last thing he would ever do. Now, here she was, coming to his room to "check on him". _God knows that's code for 'I miss you. I might've made a mistake.'_

Kurtis sighed, pushing the weighty thoughts aside. He closed his eyes, hoping to gain some sleep before the next day that would wear on him both physically and mentally.

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**Woo! Chapter three is down. What will become of this tension between those two?!**

**Chapter four will be up by Friday, May 8! R&R please! And thank you to all who have done so thus far! =D**


	4. Salt Lake City

**GAH!! Damn those stupid online translators...or maybe I just got it all mixed up as I was in a hurry...oh well. It happens XD Thanks for clearing that up though, trfanfrombeg!! And hey hey hey now...we can talk about him as though he's real as much as we want!! They need to bring him back. Fan base would increase MAJORLY if they did. They just need to work on the technicalities of the game more than anything...and not make Kurty look like a douche =P They NEEEEED to bring him back!! (Okay, there's my rant too haha.)**

**Well, regardless of all of that...here is chapter four!! Enjoy, all!! =D**

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**"Are you going to sleep through the night, too?" the voice asked. Kurtis's vision blurred for a moment, changing from black to a hazy perspective of the room. Where was he? _Oh, that's right,_ he remembered. He was in Lara's home. In London. He looked up to see Lara hovering over his bed. Kurtis sighed, sitting up, his brown locks tousled from his sleep. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice a bit hoarse.

"Making sure you're alive," she said. "I'd open the blinds, but there's no sunlight. It's nearly six o'clock in the afternoon."

He sighed again, leaning forward on his hands. "Thanks for welcoming yourself into my room."

She folded her arms over her chest. "Technically it's my room. You're just sleeping in it."

Kurtis scoffed, offering a smirk. "How generous of you."

"Think nothing of it."

"I could've been naked," he pointed out. "And you could've just walked right in on it."

Lara shrugged casually, turning to exit the room. "Nothing I haven't seen before," she said, offering a flirty grin over her shoulder. Then, she exited, heading down the stairs and into the tech room. _She's got some nerve,_ Kurtis thought, rising to retrieve his shirt. His thoughts from the night before – morning, rather – immediately came back to him. _She's playing with my head again,_ he thought. To some point, it was fun, but on the deeper level, where it was more than just the physicality, it hurt him. They couldn't be _just _friends. Not after what had happened between them. It was either all or nothing, as far as Kurtis was concerned. Either she had to be his, and no one else's, or she had to be out of his life for good.

For now though, they had to tolerate each other – and each other's antics. If she wanted to play games, he could play too. Until this expedition was over, they were going to have to just deal with each other. Kurtis pulled on his shoes and then left the room, heading down the stairs in the path that Lara had taken. He found his two brothers in the tech room with Lara, Zip, and Alister. "Glad to see you're awake," Garin commented calmly.

"And thankfully there was no sign of any intruders all day," Zip said, observing the computer screens.

"I don't know if that's good or bad," Lara murmured.

"Why do you say that?" Alister asked.

"It's like the calm before the storm," she said. "I'm just waiting until he surprises us. Everything will be unexpected, and we won't even be able to fight back."

"That's why we need to get moving," Garin said. "We must idle as little as possible."

"You sound more fearful than threatening," Lara said, repeating his comment to her from the previous night.

He drew in a silent deep breath. "We all know what he's capable of. We don't want to get caught in his warpath."

"Certainly not," Lara agreed. "Then we should get moving."

"Of course," Garin said. "Kurtis and I will leave to Salt Lake City from here. We should get there by mid afternoon tomorrow."

"Right," Davis said. "And we'll be in Greece later this evening."

"We'll be in contact with both of you guys," Zip explained. "You'll have portable video and audio devices, so if you need us for reconnaissance or anything like that, we'll be here."

"By reconnaissance, he means me," Alister boasted.

Lara sighed. "Of course, children. Now let's get moving. We don't want to idle too long."

* * *

The plane touched down in Salt Lake City around noon the next day. Kurtis was thankful for the long flight – he had been able to get even more sleep, despite the fact that the plane seats were uncomfortable, and the man in front of him had leaned his seat back so far it might as well have been in his lap. He was especially thankful to stretch his legs after the extensive period of time. "So which way from here?" Garin asked.

Kurtis gazed up, the warm Utah sun beating down on him. He could already feel anxiety erupting in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't been here in two years, and the last time he had been here, his home, amongst many others, was ambushed, unrecognizable bodies strewn about the house and outside of it. Karel had followed him there, killed his family, and then tried to kill him. Kurtis had used the Chirugai to kill him – _and _the Periapt Shard – and had thought it would have been enough. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and it was just as likely that Karel would show up here soon like he had last time. Kurtis drew in a silent, deep breath, pushing aside the horrid memories and focusing on the present. "It's about two miles east of here. We can walk there," Kurtis said.

In about twenty minutes, the Lux Veritatis brothers arrived at the site of where Kurtis's home was. It was a two-story house, with dingy white shutters and peeling yellow paint. The picket fence was falling apart, and the grass must've been at least a foot tall. A sign was posted on the grass, displaying the house for sale. Kurtis drew in another deep breath, clenching his fist at his side. "Is everything okay?" Garin asked.

Kurtis glanced at him. "Of course," he said.

"You can't lie to someone who can read your mind," Garin reminded him.

"Weren't you taught not to be that invasive?" Kurtis asked, annoyed.

"I don't need to read your mind," Garin pointed out. "I can tell just by your nature." Kurtis looked over at him, realizing he was right. He loosened his clenched fist, trying to relax. Then, he sighed, moving forward to the door. He peered through the screen door, noticing the emptiness within. He jiggled the door handle until he was able to open it. Then, he pushed the front door open, the dusty smell of bareness and algae settling in. Kurtis thought it was quite pointless to have the for sale sign up – who would by a home where several people had been murdered? Not just this house, but any of the houses on this block?

Kurtis and Garin's boots weighed heavily against the wooden floor. "Let's hope the dagger wasn't hidden in his stuff," Garin said. "The property holders threw it all out a long time ago."

Kurtis suppressed a shudder at the thought of any trace or memory of his family being destroyed. "Yeah," he agreed. "Knowing my father, though, he hid it somewhere safe."

"Of course," Garin agreed. "From what I've heard, your father was incredible – a brave Lux Veritatis warrior, a valiant person…"

"Yeah, he was," Kurtis said quickly, not wanting to talk about his father. He took a few more steps into the home, visions of dead bodies flashing through his mind. "So where is your dagger? And Davis's, too?"

"I have mine with me," Garin said. "And Davis does as well."

"And the chances of all the other brothers having theirs…?"

"Moderate," Garin admitted. "We were lucky to have ours. We can only hope for the best."

Kurtis let his fingers gently fall over the light shadow on the wall where a picture had been hung for so long. A picture of his entire family, from when he was only twelve years old. It was gone now, probably destroyed with all the rest of the stuff that had been in this house.

"Does this house have an attic, or a basement?" Garin interrupted his thoughts.

"A basement," Kurtis confirmed. "You think he could've hidden it there?"

"No harm in checking. He wouldn't hide it elsewhere, in a conspicuous place."

Kurtis led Garin to the stairwell that led into the basement. The stairs creaked underneath their weight, threatening to splinter in half. Garin removed a lighter from his coat pocket, illuminating the dark room. In the back corner stood the heater, obviously not having been used in nearly two years. Kurtis sighed, removing his Chirugai from his belt, and letting it float through the air, emitting more light so he could see the room.

Kurtis paced the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. "You think Davis and Lara will be okay?" he asked passively.

Garin turned away from the wall he was panning over, looking back to his comrade. "No worse or better than us," he answered.

The Chirugai wavered unsteadily, not at all like Kurtis was used to – he usually had a secure control over his psychic powers, but it wasn't so this time. Garin glimpsed Kurtis's faltering abilities. "Preoccupied?" he asked.

Kurtis turned to him, nearly losing grip on his Chirugai. He reached out quickly to steady the weapon, sighing once he brought it back to equilibrium. "No," he lied. "Just rusty."

"Rusty?" Garin asked, chuckling. "Not Kurtis Montsegur. If you're anything like your father, you don't get rusty at all."

Kurtis turned away, pretending to look over the wall – even though he knew that Garin, with his telepathy, and his observant nature, knew that Kurtis really was preoccupied. "I'm just thinking…"

"About Lara," Garin declared boldly.

Kurtis carefully turned back to him, making sure not to drop the Chirugai again. "Maybe," he said.

"From what I've seen, she's quite capable," Garin eased him. He eyed Kurtis suspiciously. "But that's not what you meant, was it?"

"You don't need telepathy to read minds, do you?" Kurtis asked, partly irritated and partly stumped.

Garin chuckled. "Anyone can see it."

"See…it?"

"The…tension…between the two of you."

"Oh, it's tension, alright," Kurtis sighed.

"They say opposites attract, but I don't think that's the case with the two of you."

"Lara isn't interested in love, or relationships, or settling down," Kurtis said flatly, "if you didn't notice."

"Perhaps she is," Garin argued, "she just needs to be convinced why she should."

"I thought we were here for the dagger, not a mediation session," Kurtis said irritably.

"I'm sorry," Garin said.

Kurtis sighed quietly, focusing on the task at hand. The Chirugai steadied in the way it should, and Kurtis kept his mind on everything lying before him. He ran his hand over the wall, brushing away the dirt that had settled over it. As he did so, he saw that he had revealed Lux Veritatis glyphs. "Found something," he said to Garin quickly. Garin approached the wall, helping him smooth away the dirt.

"Ancient glyphs," Garin commented. "They look like directions."

"Directions," Kurtis repeated, more to himself than to Garin. He read over the glyphs. _Back, forward three, left eight, right six, burn. _He observed the directions again. _Back._ He turned around, facing the opposite wall. "Back," he muttered. "Forward three." He took three steps forward.

"Left eight," Garin directed him. Kurtis followed suit. "Right six." Then there was the final word – "burn". What did that mean? Kurtis was facing a wall, but was nearly five feet away from it. There were no more glyphs, no triggers, no levers, nothing. Then, Kurtis got an idea. "Open the valve on the heater," he directed to Garin.

Garin turned to the heater in the corner, glimpsing that the valve was connected to the metal cord of the heater. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Garin asked nervously. "The heater could explode…"

"Do it," Kurtis confirmed.

Garin drew in a deep breath, reluctant to opening the valve. He pulled the thick metal cord out from the wall, waiting for the explosion. Fortunately, it didn't come. From where Kurtis stood, a small panel of the dirt ground between him and the wall that he faced began to opening, the panel descending inward to reveal a stairwell into the depths of the basement. "No wonder the house was always cold," Kurtis muttered.

Garin approached him. "Konstantin sure liked his puzzles," he speculated.

"Who would've thought it?" Kurtis agreed. He moved forward towards the stairwell, descending into the depths. "A basement in a basement," he commented. "I guess that's what you call irony." The Chirugai led the way, lighting their path. The path was only about ten feet long from the bottom of the stairwell, and when they reached the end, they came face to face with two triangular-shaped vertical columns, with two feet of empty space between them. "What's this?" Kurtis asked.

Garin sighed in frustration and disappointment. "This is where the dagger _should_ be."

"Should be?" Kurtis asked. "Why isn't it here?"

"I'm not sure," Garin admitted. "Maybe Konstantin moved it."

"Why would he do that?"

"Protection," Garin speculated. "Perhaps the Cabal was hot on his heels and he needed to relocate it before they got to it."

"Let's hope that's the case, and not that the Cabal got to it first."

Garin sighed, realizing the possibility. "The real question is where the dagger is now."

"Would he have entrusted it to anyone?"

Garin looked up at Kurtis, as though he'd hit the nail on the head. "Possibly," he responded. "He trusted the Bogomil brother more than anyone else. When Bogomil was murdered, Konstantin left to avenge his death. That was when…" He cut himself off, remembering he was talking about Kurtis's father and not just about a legendary Lux Veritatis warrior.

"When he was murdered," Kurtis said, monotone. "So we find Bogomil, and we find the dagger…?"

"Hopefully," Garin admitted. "The ninth Bogomil brother could have even less knowledge of the dagger than any of us."

"It's the only chance we have," Kurtis said. "Now we just have to find out where he is." Kurtis did exactly what he assumed Lara would do. He tapped into his headset. "Alister, are you there?" he asked over the line.

"We're both here," Zip responded.

"Did you find the dagger?" Alister asked.

"No," Kurtis admitted. "We think he might've moved it to make sure it didn't fall into the Cabal's hands."

"Smashing," Alister said sarcastically. "Any leads as to where it could be?"

"With the Bogomil brother," Kurtis answered. "But we don't know where he is."

"Not to worry," Alister said simply. "Zip and I will try to place a tag on him."

"Okay," Kurtis answered. He hesitated for a moment. "Have you heard from Lara and Davis yet?"

Alister chuckled nervously. "Funny you should ask…"

"What is it?" Kurtis asked quickly, anxiety quickly settling into his body.

"Nothing _too_ worrisome," he admitted. "It's just that Davis and Lara had a bit of a tiff with your Vasiley brother. Apparently, he wouldn't come quietly."

"Sounds all too familiar," Garin muttered.

"But she's okay?" Kurtis asked quickly. "I mean…_they're_ okay?"

Alister paused, letting Kurtis's question sink in. "Yes, _she's_ okay. And Davis is as well."

_Good,_ Kurtis thought, relieved. "We'll head back to London then. There's nothing left to do here in Utah."

"No, actually," Alister ordered him. "Lara says the two of you are to meet them in Berlin, Germany."

"Okay…?"

"We've located the Occitan brother there," Alister explained. "There's a park just outside the airport. When you land, look for the others there."

"Will do," Kurtis agreed. He switched off the comm-set, turning to head back up the stairs and out of his home. They stepped through the front door, and away from the porch. A shudder left Kurtis's spine, and he refused to look backwards at the home where so many memories and pain were left to exist. _No point in dwelling in the past,_ Kurtis fought to convince himself. He wasn't aware, though, that holding onto his pain only stimulated an explosion for the near future.

* * *

**Ah, poor poor Kurty-Wurty. That would suck having to go back to SLC :( And to top it off, Lara is playing with his head. *SIGH* When will it end?!?!?!**

**Well, next chapter should be up by Monday, May 11!! I think you all will find the Vasiley brother to be quite a) interesting, or b) irritating as hell. But you'll have to find out for yourself!! Stay tuned!! =D  
**


	5. Kyran Vasiley

**Hello, all! I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day and such!! I'm back again with Chapter 5 today! And you are most welcome, inmate1099, for the time update schedule...thing. The only reason why I wouldn't update when I say I will is if my computer randomly crashes or something (Damn those Vistas XD) But I have the stories backed up on a flash drive, so I'd find a way!! I WILL NOT LET YOU GUYS DOWN!!**

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* * *

  
**"So where exactly can we expect to find Kyran Vasiley?" Lara asked Davis, observing the Parthenon set atop the Acropolis of Athens. The weather was moderately warm for a day in September, even in the evening, yet the cool breeze offered solace from the warmth.

"Garin said that he lives at the southern edge of the bottom of the Acropolis," Davis explained.

"Right," Lara said dryly. "Because there aren't a million places there." Lara sighed, setting foot toward the Acropolis several hundred feet away. Garin made this Kyran fellow seem like a monster. For some reason, he didn't want to deal with him. Lara had no problem with it – she had suffered worse before. What was the worst that could happen?

There were several small cottages lined at the bottom of the edges of the Acropolis. The homes were quite similar to those of the London countryside. "Did he give you an address?" Lara asked.

"No, but no worries," Davis said. A woman stood outside her small home, retrieving her mail from the mailbox. Davis cleared his throat, approaching the woman. "Excuse me, madam," he said in Greek. "Do you know of a man named Kyran Vasiley?"

The older woman closed her mailbox, glancing from Lara to Davis. "Yes," she returned. "He lives just two houses down. Be careful, though – he's a miserable devil, and he doesn't get along well with much of anyone, especially visitors."

"Thank you," Davis said. He faced Lara, turning to the left to go in the direction that the woman had pointed him.

Lara grinned at Davis, following him. "I didn't know you spoke Greek," he said.

"Among many other languages," he boasted. "And other talents."

"I'm sure," Lara said. They approached the house that they had been directed to. It wasn't well kept, and the yard obviously hadn't been tended to in weeks. Lara sighed with uncertainty, approaching the door and knocking on it. They waited for a brief moment, but nothing came. "I guess we try it ourselves," Lara said. She turned the knob, finding the door oddly unlocked. They entered the house, stepping into the cool atmosphere. Had Kyran had the air conditioning running? Lara smelled something burning. She quickly entered the kitchen, noticing the saucepan of pasta starting to burn. She removed the pot from the stovetop, turning off the burner. "Vasiley was obviously here," she said.

"Why would he leave with the stove still on?" Davis speculated.

"Unless he was in a hurry…" Lara thought.

"And he would only be in a hurry if he was in trouble, or if he was avoiding company."

Lara looked around the room some more, noticing that the back door was open a crack. Her eyes narrowed on it, and she headed towards it, opening it enough to see that _someone _had exited through the back door in a hurry, and trudged through the shrubs at the end of the yard. She and Davis followed the path until they reached the point where they didn't know where to go. The only place in the direction they were headed was the Temple of Athena. Lara sighed again, heading in the direction of the temple.

They climbed the steps to the temple, the moon sparkling in the distance. The mountaintop where the temple stood was silent. "Perhaps we went the wrong way," Lara speculated.

Before Lara could register what was happening, Davis removed a unique-looking gun from a holster under his jacket. He shoved her out of the way, knocking her to the ground. A bullet flew directly between the two of them, narrowly missing Lara, had she not moved. "Put the gun down!" Davis shouted to the figure in the distance, utilizing an assertive voice Lara hadn't yet heard from the seemingly calm individual.

Lara quickly rose to her feet, removing one of her own pistols, holding it low to the ground. The figure moved about inside the temple. Davis and Lara raised their guns, training their weapons on the shadow. They moved deeper into the temple, until they were completely inside. Lara closed the temple door behind her so no one could get in, and no one could get out.

"Don't be a coward," Davis called out to the shadows. "Show yourself." An evil chuckle erupted from within the temple. Lara's stomach began to turn – was it Karel, or one of his followers? Had he killed the Vasiley brother and tricked them into coming into this temple so he could kill them, too? The thought made Lara fearful, and she raised her only defense higher, with shaky hands.

Within moments, the figure emerged, arms outstretched in surrender. His pistol was in his hand, the muzzle pointing towards the ceiling. The light fell over his face, and Lara relaxed, relieved that it wasn't Karel. This man had a lighter complexion, green eyes and light brown hair. He looked attractive enough, but the edge of arrogance in his eyes could change the mind of anyone about such an opinion. "Alright," he said, a smug grin on his face. "You've got me."

Davis kept his weapon on the man. "Put your gun down." The man remained still for a moment, then let the weapon slip out of his hand, onto the floor. Lara startled at the crash with the marble floor, half-expecting the weapon to fire. This guy was certainly arrogant. _Almost reminds me of James Rutland,_ she thought passively. After a moment, Davis lowered his weapon. "Are you Kyran Vasiley?" he asked carefully.

The man eyed him evilly, then jerked his hand forward, sending a fierce telepathic blow in Davis's direction. Davis flew backwards, falling flat on his back. Lara immediately trained her weapon on the man. "Don't move!" she ordered. He tried the same attack on her, but she had expected it, and moved quickly on her feet. The man continued to send surges of energy her way, but she quickly evaded each one – until she was backed into a corner.

He grinned slyly, drew his hand back for an attack, and pushed the energy forward. Before it could impale Lara, he flew backwards, another force of energy attacking him from Davis's power. The man prepared to retaliate, but Davis outstretched his hand, invisibly crippling him. The man was immobile as Davis held his hand out towards him.

"Either you're trying to waste our time," Davis speculated, "or you're just too arrogant for your own good." After a moment of asserting his dominance over his assailant, he released his psychic grip on him, stepping backwards. The man exhaled in relief, as though he'd been in pain. He rubbed his throat, glaring up at Davis evilly.

"Perhaps I'm just not in the mood for more Cabal followers hot on my trail," he said.

"Cabal?" Lara asked, stepping into the man's view. "You think we're with the Cabal?"

"Why shouldn't I?" he said. "You're here for me. The only people who have come for me recently have been here to try to kill me."

Lara and Davis glanced at each other. This was just great. The Cabal had been here, trying to find him. Luckily, they hadn't completely gotten to him, although it was clear that this man was quite shaken from the times that they had reached him.

"We're not here to kill you," Davis argued, "but you're going the right way for a necessary defense."

"What should I expect?" he scoffed. "I don't know who the hell you are."

Davis sighed, reaching out a hand to the man. The man looked up at him strangely, as if unsure whether or not he should take the gesture. After a moment, he pushed himself off of the ground, refusing Davis's hand, and he stood to his feet. Davis drew his hand back, as if to say, _Oh well. _"My name is Davis Aicard. I'm Lux Veritatis."

"_What_?" he asked, shocked. "That's impossible. _I'm_ Lux Veritatis. I'm the last living warrior – Kyran Vasiley."

"You're quite wrong," Davis argued. "In fact, there are seven other Lux Veritatis brothers. That's why we're here. We need to bring you back to –"

"Bring me _back_?" he asked. "Back where?"

"To reunite with the rest of the brothers. Unfortunately, the only ones we've found have been you, Montsegur, Limoux, and myself."

"Limoux?" he asked carefully. "I don't suppose you're referring to…?"

"Garin, yes," Davis responded.

Kyran chuckled lowly. "So that's why he sent you, and didn't come himself."

"Whatever your business is with Garin is not of concern," Davis said. "This is about something bigger."

"I have no interest in whatever it is," Kyran said.

"Your family was killed by the Cabal," Davis declared.

Kyran jerked his head in Davis's direction, anger taking him over. "Don't talk about my family," he ordered angrily.

"You're not the only one who's lost family to the Cabal, Kyran," Davis declared flatly. "Don't be such a martyr."

Kyran scoffed. "Martyr?" He pulled up his shirt a bit, revealing a large scar over his abdomen. Lara and Davis glimpsed it, then he pulled the shirt back down. "This was from my last encounter with the Cabal. They almost murdered me. The only thing I want more than anything else is to overthrow the Cabal. And by overthrow I mean erase completely – _kill_ them all."

"And what do you think we're here for?" Davis said. "The only way to destroy the Cabal is to reunite all eight of the brothers and their daggers of light."

"You mean, this thing?" Kyran asked, removing a small, jade dagger from his trench coat. He spun it over in his hands, holding it towards Davis. Davis examined the blade, noting the Lux Veritatis glyphs on the edges, and the soft coloring of the jade stone.

"Yes, that thing," Davis confirmed. "Hold onto it. It's the most important thing right now."

Kyran returned it to his pocket. "So where are these other brothers, Montsegur and Limoux?'

"In Utah right now," Davis responded, "but we should meet with them soon enough."

"And I can't wait to see my old pal Garin," he said dryly.

"If you'll come with us," Lara said, "We'll reach the Cabal much faster."

"And who is this?" he asked, as though Lara's presence was an imposition on him.

"Lara Croft," Lara introduced herself.

"Ah, I've heard of you," Kyran said. "I guess that makes you some big-shot for helping us out then, huh?"

"No, I'm just in it for the money," she retorted sarcastically.

Kyran grinned smugly. "Quick with the words," he said. "Let's hope you're as quick on your feet and with the weapons."

Lara returned her own grin. "Don't test me."

She held a steady gaze with this egotistical man, making sure he was aware that she wasn't one to be played with. She was just as capable as he was, in many ways. Each of the warriors holstered his weapons, and then turned to leave the temple. The Greece night sky would be overtaken by light soon. They needed to return to London quickly. Lara heard a beep come through on her headset and activated the call. "Hello, boys," she said.

"Lara, we've located another one of the brothers," Alister said immediately.

"Ah, perfect," she said. "Do Kurtis and Garin know?"

"Not yet," he responded. "You're the first to know. And did you find Vasiley?"

"Yes, we did," she said, glancing slowly at him with an irritable look. "And how are the others?"

"We haven't made contact yet, but I'd assume their safely on their way into the States."

"Smashing," Lara replied. "So where is this fifth brother?"

"The Occitan brother is in Berlin," he responded, "the eastern side of Germany."

"How did you find this out?"

"We did some research," he said. "Well, _I_ did some research. You see, so far each of the warriors has been located in places that seem to hold the origin of his surname. Vasiley is a Greek name, hence why he was there. Occitan is a combination of French and German, but after researching the Occitan family lineage, it died out in France in the late 1800s. Now the majority of Occitan family members live in Germany."

"Not very reliable," Lara said nervously, "but if that's the only chance we have…"

"We go with it," Alister finished for her.

"Of course," Lara said. "Then we'll meet with Kurtis and Garin in Germany. Have them rendezvous with us as soon as possible in Berlin. We'll make camp there and then take it from where we leave off."

"Sounds good, then," Alister said. "We'll let them know."

Lara clicked offline and turned towards Davis. "The fifth brother is in Berlin. The Occitan brother, that is."

"Wonderful," Davis commented. "So we head there. It shouldn't take long."

"Do you have everything you need?" Lara asked Kyran. "You won't be returning here until after the Cabal has been taken care of."

"I just have to pick up a few things from my house," he said, "which I had to evacuate quickly upon your arrival…"

"Splendid," Lara commented, ignoring his irritability with their presence. "Then we'll head to the airport from here and fly into Berlin." The group turned away from the temple and began trekking down the pathway, heading back towards Kyran's home. As they neared it, however, Lara stopped in her tracks, gesturing for the others to stop as well. Up ahead, through the windows of Kyran's home, they could see flashlights panning about inside. Someone was in the house.

"Do you have more friends here that I should be aware of?" Kyran asked suspiciously.

"They're not with us," Lara replied slowly.

"Then they're Cabal," Davis declared. "We'll go around them and try to catch a cab to the airport. Getting away from here is first priority."

"What about my stuff?" Kyran whined.

"What is it you could possibly need?" Lara asked, trying to reason. "You have the dagger – that's all you need."

"My weapons."

"I have plenty at my home. You'll hold out until combat comes into play."

"I won't leave without them," he said firmly.

"It's either leave now, or risk being killed by the Cabal _and_ having your dagger stolen."

"I'll take door number two," he replied dryly.

"You're coming with us," Lara said. "It's not up for discussion." She turned away, heading towards the narrow path veering to the right.

"Kyran!" Davis shouted.

Lara turned around to see Kyran's face glazed over with anger, his fists beginning to glow orange, like the energy that would be emitted from the Chirugai. Was he trying to threaten her? Upon Davis's shout, he let the energy fade away – but not his anger at Lara. _He acts like a spoiled child,_ she thought. _Doesn't get his way, so he throws a fit._ Lara folded her arms over her chest. "You're going to need more than that to handle me," she challenged.

He stepped threateningly closer to her, Lara not budging an inch. Davis quickly pulled him back by the arm. "That's enough," he ordered. "Stop fooling around. We need to get out of here before they get a hold of us." He dropped Kyran's arm and headed down the path, leading the way. Kyran held his glare with Lara for a moment, then followed after Davis. Lara sighed in her mind. The last thing they needed was an arrogant jerk trying to run the show. Then again, she hadn't really helped by challenging him. _Oh well,_ she thought. _No one raises a fist at me and gets away with it._ She turned away, following after her comrades.

The group headed down the narrow path that would take them around the side of the neighbor's home. From there, they could head down the road and towards the main street to quickly hail a cab and reach the airport. They ducked down low, crouching as they moved forward behind the bushes. "We're almost out," Davis said quietly. Just up ahead, they could see the street light.

Lara was ready to stand and run as far away from the Cabal as she could get. Before she could do anything, though, Kyran stood up and charged in the direction of his house. Lara reached out, trying to grab him before he bolted, but had missed by an inch. "Get back here!" Davis called angrily. Kyran didn't look back, didn't respond in any way. He was determined to get back to his home.

Lara sighed in frustration, facing Davis. "He's going to blow our cover, and likely get himself killed."

"I know," Davis sighed. "Get to the main street. I'll get him back."

"No, that's pointless," Lara argued. "If Karel is in there, he'd love nothing more than to pick off two brothers at once. The cause will be safer if you leave now. _I_ will get Kyran back." Before Davis could argue further, she stood and stealthed after Kyran. She sneaked around to the back of the house, barely peering over the glass window of the back door so she could see inside. She ducked quickly when one of the guards panned his light in her direction. She heard a scuffle inside. _Dammit, Kyran,_ she thought, knowing that the scuffle meant he'd gotten in, yet managed to be seen.

"What the –?" she heard a guard say. Then, she heard shouting, screaming, and bullets flying. _Time to make an appearance,_ she thought irritably. She kicked open the door and held her guns up, but was startled to see each of the guards fall down, one by one. Shocked, she lowered her weapons, watching as Kyran exhibited the strength of a thousand warriors. He stood over his conquered enemies with a glare of revenge on his face, as if waiting for more to come. As she stood watching him, however, a guard came from the side, aiming his rifle at her head. She quickly reacted, kicking the gun down from his hand. He stumbled a bit, but then hit her in the face with the butt of his gun. She fell backwards, landing flat on her back. The guard aimed his gun at her, but was then lifted from the ground and thrown into the wall, sent unconscious. Lara looked up to see Kyran standing in a warrior's stance, his fists clenched, ready for action. Then, he drew back from his fighter's stance into a regular stance, reaching over to the table to holster several specially-made daggers, guns, and throwing knives. He hid them in his trench coat, then turned to face Lara as though he'd known she'd been there the whole time.

Kyran stepped towards Lara, acting as though he was going to leave from the house without her. Then, he stopped looking down at her casually. "Are you coming?" he asked calmly.

* * *

**Well, what did I tell you? Kyran is kind of a jerk. But there's one in every crowd, no?**

**Stay tuned for Chapter 6! Update on Thursday, May 14!! The characters will find themselves in Berlin, and Kurtis will be acting like a major dick to Lara. Well, I guess that depends on whose side you're on...**

**Thank you for your reviews everyone! I love to hear what you think!! =D  
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	6. Not Quite How You'd Expect It

**Happy Thursday to all!! Chapter six is now posted for your viewing pleasure.**

**From now on, I will be addressing your concerns, questions, and comments at the bottom i.e. the end of the chapter, not the top. Don't ask why, it's just the way I decided to do it XD (Why does that remind me of the line from 'Cats & Dogs'?..."As of this moment, you are all FIRED. That's right, FIRED! Go home now. Do not ask why. You have no one to blame but yourself! Unless of course you have a dog, then you can blame him. You know what, kick him when you get home!" XD XD XD)  
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**Read on, and try not to get TOO angry at me 0:)**

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**Just under a day and a half later, Kurtis and Garin returned to Europe, flying into Berlin. Kurtis had been thankful that Lara hadn't run into any trouble, but was irritated and partly nervous over the fact that they hadn't located the dagger in Salt Lake City. They had nothing more than a lead as to where his dagger was, which wasn't very dependable. To top everything off, he had to see Lara now. Of course he _wanted _to be with her, in an overall sense, but the strings attached only made the distance between them unbearable – and the close proximity even worse.

"We're to meet them at the park just two blocks away from here," Kurtis said as they made their way through the small airport. Kurtis sighed in his mind – more awkward moments with Lara, and worse yet, more evading her eye contact. It was definitely not as easy as it should be.

The sun shone brightly outside, despite the fact that night would fall soon. Kurtis was glad that again, he'd been able to sleep on the plane. Had it not been for that, he knew he would be terribly exhausted right now. Garin, however, in his always-the-brave-leader demeanor, was one-hundred-percent alert, ready for action at the drop of a hat. Kurtis thought it was funny how all those years, he'd thought he was the last living Lux Veritatis warrior. He was thankful now that he wasn't – defeating the Cabal would be a terribly heavy burden for him to bear. He was also thankful that Garin had assumed the role as the leader, and that he was a good leader at that. He seemed to know how to handle everything, and could easily keep a level head about it.

"There they are," Garin said, glimpsing the three people seated at the park bench beneath a hazy tree. Kurtis drew in a deep breath, then followed after Garin to reunite with his brothers – and with Lara.

Immediately, Garin made eye contact with Kyran, and everyone else could sense the tension between the two of them. Garin, however, did his best to remain cordial, offering a subtle smile to his comrade. "Good to see you again, Kyran," he said calmly.

Kyran scoffed. "Hardly," he said.

"So it's safe to assume that this grudge between the two of us hasn't disappeared in the past several years?" Garin asked, his smile fading.

"Bring my father back from the dead," Kyran said coldly, "then we'll talk about it."

"The Cabal killed Mathias," Garin argued, "not my father, and not me."

"If it weren't for your father, he would've been fine!" Kyran said, raising his voice.

"The Cabal would've killed him regardless," Garin said flatly. "Just like they killed all the rest of us." Kyran became enraged, and reached a hand up to hit Garin. Garin, however, quickly blocked it, and instead of retaliating, merely twisted his arm away, knocking Kyran a few steps backwards. Kyran glared evilly at him, gently rubbing at the sore spot on his wrist. "We don't have time for this," Garin said. He faced the rest of the group, who stood uncertainly after witnessing the almost-fight between the dueling brothers. "What did your friends say about the Occitan brother?" he asked Lara.

"Only that he's here in Berlin," Lara responded.

"Like finding a needle in a haystack," Garin replied, sighing.

"I'd still like to know how Karel keeps tracking us down," Davis put in.

Garin turned to him. "'Keeps' tracking us down?" he asked cautiously.

"He sent more of his mercenaries after us to Greece," Lara responded. "Fortunately, he wasn't there – which I suppose is more of a wary surprise than a fortune." Lara met Kurtis's gaze – for the first time since they'd reunited. She could've sworn she'd seen fear, as if the idea of Lara being stuck with more of the Cabal was something to worry about. Lara knew it certainly was, but Kurtis should know better. He should know that she could handle herself, quite apparently. She broke eye contact with him and turned her gaze back to Garin as he spoke.

"I don't know how he does, to be honest," Garin replied. "But the closer he gets, the more dangerous things become."

Lara looked up at the sky, noticing the setting sun. "We ought to make camp for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll look for the Occitan brother."

Garin turned his gaze to the tall hotel just across the street. "Sounds like a plan," he responded.

* * *

Lara tossed her suitcase on the table next to the television stand. The hotel was nice, considering the cheap prices they were paying. The clock read that it was barely 8:00 p.m. She was glad she would have some time to relax, to eat, and to think. Perhaps thinking wasn't such a good thing though.

Lara sighed, falling across the bed. She had her own room, which was wonderful – she didn't have to share it with some man she didn't know, and she didn't have to share it with some man that she happened to be in love with. No matter how far away Kurtis was, she still turned her mind back to him. She knew that their reunion was no coincidence, that it had been predestined in some way. With that thought, she knew there _had_ to be some way things would work out between her and Kurtis. Maybe not work out necessarily how she wanted to, but work out just enough so there wouldn't be any animosity between the two of them.

Kurtis's room was just on the other side of hers. All she had to do was open the door that adjoined their rooms, and she'd be in there with him. Overall, she'd half-expected him to come to her room, to talk to her and socialize with her and acknowledge her presence. So far, since she'd met with him about two days ago in France, they'd hardly spoken a word to each other except to be sarcastic. That was their way, no doubt, but what about their true feelings? Lara knew that Kurtis _had_ to be hurting as much as she was – then again, she also knew that could be an arrogant assumption. She'd told him, directly to his face, that she wanted to break it off – whatever 'it' had been at the time. She thought she was doing what was best for the both of them, but being apart from him with the bitter space between them in the past three months was more painful than anything. And now, being so close to him, yet so completely far away, she was sure the pain was reaching a breaking point.

_Why hasn't he come to talk to me about these things?_ she asked herself. She knew the answer: she'd told him to piss off, and he did. He wasn't going to impose on her wishes. If she wanted any chance of things working between them, she was going to have to be the one to start. But what would it get her? If she told him she was still in love with him, that it killed her to see him and not be able to touch him, to kiss him, to make love to him, would he welcome the confession with eagerness? Would he say he felt the same? And then what would happen, even if he did? Would they elope and have children, move in together, watch movies on the weekends and talk like couples do?

_We wouldn't be like normal couples,_ Lara thought. That just wouldn't work. Some men brought flowers and chocolate and jewelry to their women, but she'd rather just have Kurtis's touch as the gift, the look in his eyes that said he had to have her and no one else. She didn't need the conventional methods to go along with it. No matter what the future would hold, Lara knew she needed to confess the truth to him. Sure, it would make her completely vulnerable, but it was eating away at her heart and soul by not doing so. The latter had to be the worse outcome.

Lara sighed, standing up to step into the shower. She didn't want to approach Kurtis with a disheveled appearance – not that he cared. If he still felt the way Lara hoped, he wouldn't give a damn. He'd have her regardless. Fifteen minutes later, Lara stepped out of the steamy bathroom, toweling at her hair. _I've never seen your hair down. It looks nice. _Kurtis had told it to her before, but she knew it was code for something deeper. He thought it was sexy, no doubt, but the look in his eyes when he'd said it clearly showed that he saw the core of her soul, as if she hadn't been afraid to show her true self to him.

_Better not taunt the man,_ Lara thought, quickly weaving the long locks into a braid. She stared into her own eyes in the mirror when she was done, drawing in a deep breath. Who knew what would happen in the next few minutes she spent in Kurtis' room? Would they just talk? Would he kiss her and touch her? Would he make love to her? Would he apologize, for whatever he felt he needed to?

Lara turned out the light, and approached the door separating their rooms. She closed her eyes, counting to three in her mind, then knocked gently. After several moments – and a heavy heartbeat – the door opened. Kurtis held the door halfway shut. "What's up?" he asked, irritability edging into his voice already.

_Shit!_ Lara thought. _I didn't think of what to actually say…_She met his gaze, knowing that would be the place to start. "I was wondering…" she said slowly. _If you still love me._ "If you would want to go over some of the information we have before we go to bed." _I mean…before we both go to bed, but in separate beds, in separate rooms…_

Kurtis blinked twice, as if he already knew what she was here for, and she was lying through her teeth. Then, he sighed quietly, opening the door for her to step in. Lara entered his room, the heady scent of his skin lingering closely by. Kurtis was turned away, but she wanted nothing more than to go behind him and wrap her arms around his stomach, holding him tightly to her so she could feel their connecting heartbeats like she'd felt the night they first made love in Honduras. She wanted it so badly, but she knew she couldn't. She turned her mind away from such thoughts, and pretended to be thinking over business.

"I wanted to ask –" she began.

"You're not here to talk business," Kurtis said, facing her.

He caught her off-guard, and he'd done so quickly. Her face knit into confusion, and she looked away, stumped. "I forgot you can read minds…"

"My father taught me it was rude and unethical to read minds without permission, or without the justification of protection," Kurtis argued. "You can convince a lot of other people with your lies, but not me, Lara." She looked up at him, anger erupting, although she knew he had every right to feel that way. "So what are you really in here for?"

Lara tried to keep her hands still to keep from fidgeting. She wanted to lie to him – now that she was in the hot seat, she couldn't think of anything to say. She wished she'd never left her room. But she knew she needed to do this. She drew in a deep breath. "We've been together for over two days now, and we've hardly spoken," she started.

"So?" Kurtis asked plainly.

"I don't think it's the way it should be…"

"There are a lot of things that shouldn't be the way they are," he said flatly. "Yet they stay that way regardless."

"They don't have to…"

He eyed her suspiciously. "What are you saying?"

Lara looked down to the floor. _I made a mistake._ Then, she looked back up at him. "I-I miss you," she said quietly. She fought to hold eye contact with him, knowing that if she broke it, he wouldn't believe it anyway. She sighed quietly, gazing about the room nervously. "There, I said it," she said quietly. "And I'm feeling pretty vulnerable for doing so…"

"What do you want me to say, Lara?" he asked, his voice edged with a mixture of disappointment and confusion. "Am I supposed to believe you? I don't know what to believe. One minute, you're a cold, standoffish bitch, and the next you're making love to me. One minute you tell me you want to go your own way to protect the 'practicality' of the situation, and the next you say you miss me. I wish you'd just make up your damn mind."

"I _am_ making up my mind!" she said, growing angry. "I'm standing here telling you how I feel!"

"No, not quite," he argued. "Telling me you miss me isn't telling the truth, and you know it. You know you feel a hundred times more than that for me."

"So what do you want _me_ to say?" she asked.

"The truth," he said, stepping closer to her, so that he was just inches away from her face. "Tell me you love me, because I know you do." She stared into his eyes as her own began to gloss over with tears of frustration and accusation. "Telling me that you miss me just isn't enough. It's a start, but it's not enough to convince me."

Lara held his gaze, wishing she _could_ tell him that she loved him. Of course she did, and they both knew it. He wanted to hear her say it. That was the only way he would believe her. He had every right to feel this way, but Lara couldn't bring herself to speak the three words he needed. "I…I can't –"

"Yeah, I know," Kurtis interrupted. "You can't. For whatever reason, you just can't. The story of your life, Lara."

He turned away, stepping into the light coming from the window. He faced away from Lara just like she had faced away from him on the night he'd left. She saw him standing there, and she wanted to run to him and fall into his arms, repeating the words he needed – _I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. I LOVE YOU! _But she couldn't. She just couldn't. "Kurtis, you have to understand –"

"Get out," he said flatly.

She stared at him with confusion. "What?" she asked, shocked by his command.

He faced her, anger and sadness swamping his eyes. "I said get out," he repeated more firmly.

Lara couldn't move. Her feet were stuck to the floor, vulnerable in the presence of the man whom she loved, yet was tearing apart her very soul where she stood. _Walk away,_ her brain commanded. _Turn around, and walk away…_She could do it. Lara broke her stare with him, then turned away, her feet feeling heavy like bricks. She walked back into her room, closing the door between them. She numbly walked over to her bed, falling across it, and pulling a pillow into her body to hold for comfort. She buried her face into it, tears falling into the fabric.

The man she loved with all of her being had discarded her like an old rag – but then again, hadn't she done the same thing to him only three months ago?

* * *

**Ho ho...well Mr. Kurty is a little bent-outta-shape, no? And can you blame him? *sigh* When will the freak-show end?!?!?!?!**

**_Lucifer's Little Angel - _Oh, don't worry. Karel will play a significant role soon enough. I know it feels like the story is moving slowly right now, but it will all work out for the better...especially when the third installment is posted a long time from now! *whistles innocently***

**_trfanfrombeg_: Yes! That's exactly the idea I was going for. The anti-hero attitude. He DOES act like Wolverine, doesn't he? Glad you caught that XD**

**_yasmine_: Perhaps not the 'tension' you were looking for in this chapter, I'd say? Sorry...but don't worry. It's all going to fit in perfectly. I LOL'd at your eagerness to have Kurtis in every scene haha. And I am happy to oblige in making your day better with my story XD**

**Thank you all for your continuing review! I welcome the new faces and am glad to have everyone on board! Tally ho, gents! I'll be out of town this weekend, but if I'm able to post on Saturday, I will. If not, aim for Sunday, May 17, at the latest!! =D  
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	7. Aura

**Hello, hello. Chapter 7 is now up, for your viewing pleasure. Sorry it's so late btw...I literally got home from out of town like ten minutes ago. Long drive!!...well, I guess it was unanimous that everyone felt like Lara deserved the lashing out that Kurtis gave her...not that I had any doubts there XD**

**And may I mention...did anyone catch the fact that Kyran's father's name was Mathias? I don't quite remember how old he 'looked' in AOD, but let's just pretend he was old enough to have a now-mid-20s son, alright? =D**

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**Kurtis awakened the next morning, feeling as if he was hung over. He hadn't drunk alcohol obviously, but his argument with Lara the previous night had been enough to feel as though he had. He sighed, standing from his bed and heading towards the shower, knowing he would need to check in with the others in just a few minutes. He discarded his clothing, stepping into the steam and hot water.

Kurtis was glad he was alone. He needed time to think about things. _Maybe I was a bit harsh,_ he thought. Then again, she needed to hear it. When he'd heard her knocking on his door last night, his heart soared. Of course he wanted her to come to his room. He wanted to talk with her, he wanted these feelings of animosity between the two of them to go away. That would have to start with Lara, though. The minute she lied, saying she was there to "talk business", Kurtis's feelings of irritation came back. He knew it was hard for Lara to be honest about her feelings, but he also knew that if she didn't and she kept running from them, she was going to lose him.

He knew he could've been nicer about it, but he was frustrated with the entire situation. His methods of handling it, however, might've only scared her more and pushed her further away. At this thought, Kurtis sighed in frustration, jerking the knob to the right to close the water valve. He _had_ been a royal dick in his manner, but he wasn't about to apologize for the way he felt. He hoped Lara would understand it.

Kurtis ran his fingers through his hair, staring himself down in the mirror. Lately, in every turn he made, in every step he took, he saw his father. Going into Salt Lake City had been the hardest thing he'd ever had to do – even more difficult than walking away from Lara in Honduras. His old demons came swarming back to him, and no matter how calmly he tried to play it off, he'd been thinking about Utah ever since he'd arrived at his home, and ever since he'd left it. Perhaps his pent-up feelings about Utah were also catalysts for his irrational behavior the night before. Whatever it was, he knew Lara didn't deserve to be treated the way he'd treated her. He knew he would have to apologize.

Kurtis sighed, opening the door from his room and heading down the hall to rendezvous with the others in Garin's room.

* * *

Lara awakened the following morning to a knocking at her door. Half-awake and semi-functional, she stumbled out of her bed and towards her front door. _It's Kurtis, coming to apologize, _she thought, the fight from the previous night coming to her mind immediately. She opened the door to see Garin, however, and her heart sank. He smiled politely at her, however. "Briefing in my room in twenty minutes," he said. "We have coffee and food, so don't worry about any of that."

Lara sighed in her mind, but merely nodded and smiled subtly. "Alright. Thank you." Garin turned away, and Lara closed the door. She yawned as she rummaged through her suitcase for proper clothing, all the while hoping she could face Kurtis today and pray that the fight from the previous night wouldn't create more awkward feelings between the two of them. She strapped on her boots and grabbed her backpack, sure they wouldn't return until later.

Lara headed down the hall, entering the third door away from hers on the opposite side. Everyone was already inside, walking about with either coffee or food at hand. Garin approached her, smiling politely as he handed her a cup of warm beverage. "As close to British tea as you will get while you're here," he said.

Lara smiled in gratitude, taking the cup from his hands and having a sip. It wasn't bad, to say the least, but it wasn't like Winston's tea back home.

"Okay, everyone," Garin began, "here's the plan. We need to find the Occitan brother and bring him back –"

"We already know that," Kyran interrupted.

"Thank you, Kyran," Garin said, annoyed. "I think it's safer it the majority of us remain here, so we're not scattered about for the Cabal to find in one shot."

"We're like sitting ducks waiting here!" Kyran argued. "We need to get moving, not wait around for the Cabal to pick us off."

"For whatever reason, the Cabal keeps beating us to each brother. Thankfully, they haven't killed any of them yet," Garin argued. "It's safer to send out only two at once –"

"And have them both killed?" Kyran asked. He scoffed. "If that's your brilliant plan, count me out of it. Send someone else to be a kamikaze."

"I would never expect such valor from you, Kyran," Garin muttered.

"Valor is one thing," Kyran argued. "The Cabal is another."

"I'll go," Lara spoke up. The group turned to look at her, as though she were suicidal. "It's the safest shot we've got," she explained. "At least if Karel _does _find us, he'll only be finding one of the warriors, and not two. I'm the dispensable one of the group."

"Dispensable, indeed," Kyran muttered.

Garin sighed uncertainly. "Are you sure, Lara?"

"I'm positive," she confirmed firmly.

"Then who else would be willing to go?" he asked, his gaze slowly falling over Kurtis.

Kurtis sighed. "I'll go with her," he said.

"Another 'dispensable' one?" Kyran asked humorously.

"No," Kurtis said, turning to him with a smug grin. "We just know how to work together, that's all. You could take a hint."

"Please," Kyran begged. "Working with you people is the last thing I want to tolerate."

"'You people'?" Davis asked. "You almost sound like you think that you're not just like the rest of us."

"I like to think so," he said, rising from his chair and leaving the room.

"You weren't kidding when you said he was a difficult one to deal with," Davis sighed, turning to Garin.

Garin merely set his cup on the table, facing the group as though he hadn't heard Davis speak. "I appreciate your nobility," he said to Kurtis and Lara. Lara nodded to him, as if to say "you're welcome".

"Now how do we find him?" Kurtis asked.

"Ask around," Garin said. "Go out around town and try to find what you can about him. In the meantime, we'll be doing research in here to try to find any other leads."

"That's promising," Kurtis muttered, rising from his seat. He holstered his weapon and brushed past Lara and out the door. She sighed quietly, looking up at Garin with pleading eyes.

Garin placed a compassionate hand on her shoulder. "Everything will be fine," he said, and she knew he was talking about her situation with Kurtis and not the situation with the fifth brother. Lara nodded slowly. "Knock on the door three times when you return, so that we know it will be you," he directed. Lara nodded again, then turned away, following after Kurtis as she closed the door behind her.

They walked alongside each other in silence, as if they were merely two strangers in close proximity on the street. Lara felt she should say something, but what? Generally, she was good at sticking to business, but right now, she couldn't do that. Not when her true feelings were taking over her entire being.

They stepped outside into the Germany sun, and Lara shielded her eyes to glance around. "So where do we start?" she spoke up.

"Where anyone else would start," he said. "Phone books, public records…that sort of stuff."

"Of course," Lara agreed. "The public library has loads of information. We can start there." And fortunately enough, there was a public library just up ahead. They trudged across the street, through traffic and pedestrians, and into the cool atmosphere of the library. They made special note to hide their weapons in their attire as not to look suspicious. Then, they made their way into the back corner where a computer was available for public use. Lara wiggled the mouse around, then entered one word – "Occitan." "Let's hope the network is compatible outside the library's use," she said.

Seconds later, several links pulled up on the page, ranging from strange recipes to books on medieval time periods. Nothing, however, stuck out in their minds, and they were starting to feel like this was just a waste of time. Lara sighed, stepping away from the computer.

"Let me give it a try," Kurtis offered, taking over. It was the most compassion he'd offered all day, and it wasn't much. Lara ignored it, folding her arms over her chest to approach the railing and gaze down at the basement level of the library, where guests walked about, and shelves were lined with old leather bounds. _Alister would kill to see this,_ she thought humorously, remembering how her nerdy friend loved to spend hours in libraries and other places of the sort.

Then, Lara heard a shout. She quickly glanced about and saw several armed men entering the library from the basement floor. Kurtis quickly came to her side, catching sight of the mercenaries. _Give me a break! _Lara thought. Yet again, the Cabal was hot on their trail. The occupants of the library attempted to flee, but the guards stopped them, threatening them with their guns. Lara and Kurtis quickly ducked into a hiding space between the bookshelves, removing their weapons. "What the hell are they doing here?" Lara asked quietly, trying to keep from sounding nervous.

Kurtis loaded a clip into his gun. "Either looking for us or the Occitan brother," he said.

"Do you think he's here?" she asked, both hopeful and fearful.

"I'm not sure," he said. "We'll have to find out." Kurtis ducked behind the bookshelf and continued along the upper floor as more mercenaries filed inside. Lara followed after Kurtis, watching as more guards trudged up to the second floor. She gently grabbed Kurtis's arm, stopping him. "We ought to split up," she said.

He stared into her eyes for a moment. "Be careful," he warned. "I'll meet you outside, at the back."

Lara nodded, and then dropped his arm, heading in the opposite direction. _You be careful, too,_ she wanted to say. She knew that despite the strange tension between the two of them, they both still loved and cared for one another, and feared for the other's safety.

Lara held her gun close, watching in every angle for the guards. They were searching about on the basement floor and the second floor as well. There had to be a way out of here…

Lara heard a scuffle behind her, and turned around just in time to see a book raised high in the air, preparing to come down and strike her in the head. She quickly knocked the assumed weapon from the assailant's hand, and then knocked him backwards with a quick hit to the face. He stumbled to the floor, knocking several books off the shelf. _Bugger,_ she thought. The guards would be coming this way in seconds. Lara sighed in frustration and pulled the man to his feet, knowing she couldn't very well leave him there, even if he had tried to assault her. He would be just as much of a hostage as she would. She dragged him by the arm, ushering him forward. "Don't make a sound," she commanded. He ducked his head nervously, moving forward in the shadows. Lara quickly pulled him behind one of the bookshelves, taking a breather.

"Who are you?" the man asked in panic.

"I said to be quiet," she repeated.

"I think I can help you," he urged.

She looked to him strangely. "Who are _you_?"

"My name is Zeth," he said. "Zeth Occitan. And if those men are who I think they are, then they're here for me."

"Occitan?" Lara asked, her heart soaring. "And who is it that you think they are?"

"I don't know how much you know about history," he said, "but they're with a 13th Century cult that wants my kind dead."

"The Cabal," Lara said. "And that would make you Lux Veritatis…?"

He looked at her strangely. "You _do_ know history…"

"My name is Lara Croft," she said, "and I know where your Lux Veritatis brothers are. You need to come with me."

"How do you –"

"Not now," she hushed him. "Stay close to me, and we'll get out of here alive."

* * *

Kurtis could see Lara from here he stood. He was on the opposite side of the stairwell, and he was glad to have full view of her. The last thing he wanted was to lose sight of her – who knew what would happen then? He needed to make a clear path for her so she could escape, but he wasn't in a position to move. Then, he knew what to do. He removed his Chirugai from his belt and quietly activated it, sending it around the perimeter of the inside of the building, and over to Lara. Once he saw that she'd acknowledged it, he led it away from the scene, and to an escape route on the side of the building. If Lara followed it carefully, she would make it out safely.

Kurtis fought desperately to hold onto his psychic powers, to lead the Chirugai through the weaving paths of the library. It was a lot more difficult than it looked. He could sense that Lara was with someone – another man? He nearly dropped his Chirugai at the thought, jealousy edging into his mind, but levitated it back into his control. Perhaps he was a hostage she was helping rescue. He could sense strength in him, however, and knew that he wasn't an ordinary man. What if it was one of the Cabal followers tricking Lara to get out so he could kill her? Kurtis's stomach lurched at the thought, and he knew he had to get out of the library quickly.

It would be a difficult task to control the Chirugai and move along at the same time – it was like playing multiplayer split-screen on a first-person shooter video game. He would be navigating through two regions, technically meaning that his brain was in two places. He could already feel his strength seeping away. The more important path was the one that lay ahead of Lara, however, so he fought to take control over the Chirugai. He stumbled over a fallen book and nearly lost his footing as his mind returned fully to his present setting. Then, he dropped the Chirugai. _Shit,_ he thought. He glanced up in time to see the guards looking his way, and he knew he had to run. He staggered to his feet and bolted out of the hallway, down the corridor, and in Lara's direction.

When he met up with her, he saw her quickly ushering the man forward, knowing it was time to go. Kurtis summoned the Chirugai to his grasp and followed after them. Bullets flew in their direction as the guards attempted to do away with them. They quickly escaped through the fire exit, a narrow stairwell leading to the ground below. The man rushed down as quickly as possible, and Lara followed, Kurtis hot on her heels. They panted heavily as their lungs demanded oxygen. "Where to now?" Lara asked.

"I'll take you to my place," the man said. "They won't follow us."

"They somehow keep finding you guys," Lara pointed out. "I suggest rethinking your claim."

"Don't worry," he urged. "Just follow me." The man led the way, and Kurtis quickly glanced at Lara. _Lux Veritatis? _he seemed to ask. She nodded, and then they quickly followed after the brother. They ran down the streets as quickly as possible, dodging traffic and pedestrians. Minutes later, they arrived at a small apartment. The man quickly urged them inside, locking the door behind him.

"They're going to find us here," Kurtis said, catching his breath. The man ignored him, removing a small black case from a nearby drawer. He opened it up, revealing a small jade blade inside. Lara immediately recognized it to be one of the Daggers of Light. The man moved his hands in a circular motion around the other, bringing looks to both Lara and Kurtis's face that thought he was crazy. Then, the man shot an orange bolt of energy towards the blade, causing it to suspend in the air inside the spherical orange glow, accompanied by a strange humming noise.

"What did you just do?" Lara asked, shocked.

The man reached his hand out, attempting to steady it. "I activated the aura," he said.

"The what?" Kurtis asked.

"Do you know what this thing is?"

"One of the eight daggers of light, yes," Lara said.

He slowly drew his hand away from it, then looked to her. "How do you know so much about Lux Veritatis and the Cabal?"

"I've had my life threatened by the Cabal several times, for starters," she answered. "And this is Kurtis Trent – Montsegur – who was the first Lux Veritatis I met, two years ago."

"Montsegur!" the man exclaimed happily. "Boy, am I glad to see you."

"Likewise…?" Kurtis said cautiously.

"My name is Zeth Occitan," he introduced himself politely.

"Glad to see you're alive," Kurtis said relieved.

"As ever," he said. "I thought that I could go to the library without the dagger and be safe, but I guess I was wrong."

"So what did you just do to it now?" Lara asked.

"Each dagger has an aura," he explained. "When the aura is active, we Lux Veritatis are invisible to the Cabal."

"How long does the aura last?" Kurtis asked.

"Not very long, unfortunately," he admitted. "There's so much more I can tell you, but I want to know first – are the other brothers alive?"

"Limoux, Vasiley, and Aicard are just down the street, waiting for us to return with you," Kurtis explained.

Zeth began to quickly fill a nearby duffel bag with papers and other traveling items. "Then we should get out of here as quickly as possible. I can take the dagger to them and activate its aura there. We'll all be safe for a short time."

"How did you find out these things?" Lara asked as he continued to pack things into his duffel bag.

"I did my research," he said. "I spend a lot of time at the library. When I found the dagger in my father's collection of old items and I saw the Lux Veritatis markings on it, I knew it was something I needed to know more about. I've been at the library every day for three straight weeks. That is, when I haven't been jumping at shadows, waiting for the Cabal to come and find me. I'm trying to conserve the dagger's power by not activating the aura all the time, but when it's not up and functioning, I can't sit still. I'm just waiting for Karel to come through my door and kill me one of these days."

"You and I both," Lara muttered.

Zeth zipped his duffel bag shut and slung it over his shoulder. Then, he carefully reached forward, drawing the dagger out of the orange aura and into his hand. He tucked the artifact into his bag. Then, he reached for three books on the table, taking them into his possession. He turned to Kurtis and Lara. "Let's go," he said nervously.

Lara and Kurtis glanced at each other, then turned away, their hands close to their holstered guns, as if waiting for Karel to come through the door and kill them.

* * *

**Well, another Alister in the group...*laughs nervously* How's that for a kicker?? XD  
**

**_inmate1099: _Well, I can't saaay...that would ruin the potential of the story, now wouldn't it?? 0:) But I will not crucify you - your thoughts are justified haha XD**

**_trfanfrombeg: _Wouldn't we ALL say "let's get married" to Kurtis? *sigh* No insecurity issues there XD  
**

**So that's it, then! Another chappie down! Now who would like a coo-keh?! =DDD Update on Wednesday, May 20!! =D See you guys there!!  
**


	8. Traitor

**Welcome to chapter eight, everyone! Hope you are all enjoying...life in general, staying out of the heat =P Please read on, please enjoy, and please review!! XD**

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**Lara glanced around the hotel hallway, wary of the visitors passing by. The last thing she wanted was to enter the hotel room and have some Cabal follower pacing the hallways, waiting to find them all in one place. When all over the passers-by faded into the distance, Lara rapped at the door gently three times. She waited for a moment, and then Davis opened the door. "Glad to see you guys are back," he said with relief.

Lara gestured for Zeth to enter, and he did so quickly, glancing about nervously. She could tell by this young man's jumpy nature, he wasn't accustomed to combat, or anything outside of the library and computer room. He was just like Alister – smart, nerdy, yet nice in every way possible.

Lara waited for Kurtis to enter next. He took two steps into the room, then stopped for the briefest moment to make eye contact with her. They locked eyes for a moment, and then he turned away, entering the room. Usually, Lara could read Kurtis very well, just by searching into his soft blue eyes. This time, though, she had no idea what he had been thinking, and she was sure he was just as uncertain. Lara sighed in her mind, starting to think that Kurtis was just as lost in his feelings for her as she was for him. She closed the door behind her as she entered the hotel room.

"So this is the Occitan brother," Garin said, a subtle smile on his face.

"Zeth," he said, extending his hand to shake with Garin's.

"I am Garin Limoux," he introduced himself. "This is Davis Aicard, and in the corner is Kyran Vasiley."

"Nice to meet you all," Zeth said politely.

"You'll be delighted to hear of what Zeth knows about the dagger," Lara said, a grin crossing her face.

"Really?" Garin asked. "And I'm assuming you have yours?"

Zeth removed his dagger from his duffel bag, holding it close to him. "Wouldn't leave anywhere without it."

"Which apparently has turned out to be quite a brilliant idea," Lara said.

"How so?" Davis asked.

Lara nodded towards Zeth, directing him to lock the dagger into its aura. Zeth set his duffel bag down, and then set the dagger on the table. The other three brothers watched curiously, but Lara and Kurtis stood to the side, waiting to witness the spectacle again. Zeth made the same circular movements with his hand, then used the energy to lift the dagger from the table and into the orange-colored aura. "What _is_ that?" Davis asked in awe.

"The dagger's aura," Zeth explained, steadying it. "Each of the daggers has one. When it's active, the Cabal can't find us."

"So what are you saying?" Garin asked. "Why is it that they keep finding us, besides the fact that our daggers' auras aren't active?"

Zeth dropped his hands, facing the group. "The Temple of Light isn't located here on Earth."

"How do you know that?" Lara asked.

"It's located in a foreign land, in limbo, if you will," he explained. "The Place of True Light, more commonly referred to as Lemuria. Think of it as a map. It's the way Karel keeps finding us Lux Knights, besides the fact that the auras of the daggers aren't active. In essence, it's a psychic's way of letting his mind wander."

"Like Farsee," Kurtis said.

"Exactly like Farsee," Zeth confirmed. "When you go into Farsee, your mind essentially leaves your body, although it doesn't necessarily go into a limbo land. Lemuria is where Karel goes to find us – he lets his own mind go into Farsee mode, technically."

"So this temple is located there?" Lara asked.

"From what my research points to, yes," he said. "But we first have to get all eight daggers together and combine their auras to enter the portal that will take us there. I don't know what lies beyond that. The only person who has ever gone into Lemuria is Karel – of this generation, anyway."

"So…" Kyran said, rising. "Does everyone have their daggers?"

"All but Kurtis," Garin said.

"Then find it," Kyran said.

"We tried," Kurtis responded irritably. "It's likely with the Bogomil brother. That's the idea we came to, at least."

"So find him!"

"If it were that simple, don't you think we'd have already done it?" Garin pointed out, trying to remain level-headed.

"I just think you guys are wasting a lot of time," Kyran said, folding his arms over his chest and looking out the window.

"Very well," Garin said. "Then you can go to Munich and search for the sixth brother."

Kyran faced him abruptly. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"Since you're the only one suited enough for it," Garin said, folding his arms over his chest.

The group expected Kyran to protest, but he merely folded his arms over his chest and released a sly smirk. "That'd be _wonderful_," he said, his calm demeanor masked with the need to cause more problems within the group. Kyran and Garin held eye contact for a brief moment, speaking only words through their eyes.

Kurtis broke the silence. "So you found the sixth brother?" he asked.

"Yes," Garin said, turning to him. "Fortunately, he fell into our hands. Lara's friends from London contacted us to let us know of their research. His name is Aiden Guilhelm. The problem is that he's living in an orphanage."

"What?" Kurtis asked.

"He's only seventeen years old," Garin said. "He's the youngest of all of the brothers."

"And busting a kid out of an orphanage should be easy," Kyran said sarcastically.

"That's why I gave the job to you," Garin said, smiling a grin of scorn.

"Well," he said, smiling back, "no problem then. And a little help would be nice – I'd like Lara to go with me."

Garin glanced at Lara uneasily, but she just stared Kyran down, challenging him with her eyes. "I would love nothing more," she said simply.

"Well, that's perfect," Kyran said. "Let's get going then. It'll be a two-hour flight to get there." Kyran slung his bag over his shoulder, grinning at Garin as he trudged past him and out the door. Garin glared at him as he left, then turned to Lara with a look of concern. She said nothing, but offered a polite smile, following after Kyran. Before she closed the door, she felt a hand on her wrist. She looked up to see Kurtis stopping her. He pulled the door shut, glancing down the hall to make sure Kyran was out of hearing distance. "What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I'm going to find the sixth brother."

"You know he only wants to get under your skin."

"You don't have to worry, Kurtis," she assured him. "I can keep him under my thumb."

"I don't know, Lara," he said. "He may be Lux Veritatis, but I don't trust him."

Lara grinned, reaching a hand up to his face, just under his jaw line. "All is well," she said. "Don't worry." Then, she turned away, following after Kyran. She glanced back at Kurtis, who was still standing where he had been, that same look of uncertainty in his eyes.

* * *

Lara and Kyran sat in the car, across the street from the orphanage. Lara sighed, leaning on her elbow, glancing at Kyran as he took a sip from his coffee cup. "Yes, because this isn't conspicuous at all," Lara said.

"Relax," Kyran said. "We're practically invisible."

"Because no one suspects two people parked in a car across the street from an orphanage."

"You need to learn to chill," Kyran said.

"I'm starting to think you don't even have a plan," Lara said.

Kyran took another sip from his cup. "What do you want me to do? Go up to all of the kids and ask for Aiden?"

"So you don't have a plan, then," Lara declared. She sighed, opening her door and proceeding towards the orphanage.

"Hey!" Kyran shouted, rising from the car. "Come back here!"Lara refused to listen to him. He had no plan, after all. Did he just hope the kid would show up out of nowhere? After a moment, Lara heard Kyran running up behind her. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, whispering harshly.

"I'm doing _something_," she said. "Not at all like you."

"Don't do this," he said, his voice rising. "Lara, don't…"

Lara ignored him, proceeding forward. He stopped following her, and she could hear him returning to the car. _I guess he's checking out already,_ Lara thought. There were several children outside, playing on monkey bars, climbing trees, and running around. Lara needed to talk to one of them. She glanced around passively, trying to appear unnoticed. Then, she approached the mailbox just outside the fence. She pretended to reach in and drop an envelope in, glimpsing the young girl playing by the fence. The girl smiled up at her – a big toothless grin. She couldn't be much older than nine years old. "Hello," she said with a German accent.

Lara smiled politely, not accustomed to children. "Hello there," she said. "What's your name?"

"Julie," she responded. "Are you from here in Germany?"

"No, I'm looking for a friend," she said. "Do you know a boy named Aiden?"

"Yeah," she said. She turned around and pointed. "He's over there."

Lara looked up to see a group of older boys seated at one of the tables, playing cards – poker most likely. She thanked the young girl, then casually walked in the direction of the boys. She heard their voices rising, and one of them sounded angry. They began arguing, and the next thing she knew, one of the boys stood up and throwing his cards across the table, knocking down one of the piles of coins. He stormed away from the group angrily. Lara eyed him carefully, trying to figure out if he was Aiden or not. He glanced her way, then stopped, tucking his hands into his pockets. "You know, kid-watching can get you in a lot of trouble," he said in an American accent.

"So can gambling," Lara countered.

"Alright," he said, shrugging. "So are you here to adopt or something?"

"No, I'm looking for someone," she said. "Aiden Guilhelm."

His eyes narrowed at her, and he took a few steps closer. "What do you want with him?"

Lara met his gaze. "I'm trying to protect his life," she said flatly.

She saw his eyes flicker with fear for a moment, but then saw it disappear. He glanced backwards, then stepped even closer to Lara. "Do you know something about the Cabal?" he asked.

"I know a lot about the Cabal, and about the Lux Veritatis," she said. "The car parked across the street – Kyran Vasiley, one of your Lux Veritatis brothers, is waiting inside. Getting you out of here will be the hard part, though."

"I can run away," he said. "They won't even notice."

"There's something more important," she said. "Do you have a small jade dagger?"

"It's packed away in my storage trunk in my room," he said. "It's a Lux Veritatis artifact."

"You need to bring it with you," she said.

Aiden glanced back at the building, then returned back to Lara. "Tonight, when the lights go out at nine, I'll climb out through the window from the second story. I used to do it all the time. It'll be easy. Park on the north side of the building, and you can pick me up from there. Then, we'll get the hell out of here."

"Be careful," Lara warned. "We'll make sure no one comes, but the Cabal mercenaries have been lurking about everywhere. Keep a close eye out."

Aiden nodded as a whistle sounded behind. He sighed, looking back to Lara. "They're calling us in," he said. "Tonight, at nine."

"We'll be here," she said.

Aiden turned away, going inside the building with the rest of the children. He dragged his feet in a laid-back demeanor, his messy brown hair dictating that he didn't really care about his existence. She could imagine how he felt. He was seventeen years old, stuck in an orphanage in Germany, and for all he knew, all of his family, or presumed family, was dead. Lara knew she needed to ensure this kid's safety, for more than one reason.

Lara turned away, walking back to the car where Kyran was supposed to be – _supposed _to be. Where was he? The car was there, but he wasn't. Lara felt panic edging into her being. _If he just walked off and left, I'm going to kick his ass,_ she thought. Then again, she hoped that was all it was, and not that the Cabal had reached him. Lara glanced around carefully, making sure no one was around watching. Then, she climbed into the car, searching for clues as to where Kyran could be. She stopped moving for a minute, hearing a silent beeping noise. She looked under the steering wheel and saw a blinking red light. Then, as panic edged into her mind, she stumbled out of the car as quickly as possible and bolted towards the back alley that lay ahead. Behind her, the car exploded into pieces, the force of the blow knocking her flat on her stomach. She groaned as she looked up to see black smoke rising from the vehicle's remains. "Bloody hell," she breathed in shock. Kyran hadn't done that – had he?

Lara tapped into her headset with shaky hands. "Alister, it's Lara," she said quickly.

"Ah, Lara," Alister greeted her. "How is –"

"Put me through to one of the boys in Berlin straight away," she interrupted.

"Well, okay…" he said.

Lara heard a click on the other line and waited for her call to be transferred. Then, the line began to ring. After three rings, a voice responded. "You're on speaker, Lara," Kurtis said.

"Have any of you heard from Kyran in the past hour or so?" she asked quickly.

"No…" he said slowly. "He's with you…?"

"Not anymore," she said. "I went to talk to Aiden, and when I came back to the car he was gone, and a bomb was wired. Now the car has been shattered to pieces."

"And you've no idea where Kyran is?" Garin asked.

"None whatsoever," Lara said. "I don't know what would be worse – Kyran having tried to kill me, or the Cabal kidnapping him and trying to kill me."

"It's more likely the Cabal," Limoux said, "despite how easy it is to believe the other way."

"If that's the case, then what shall I do?" Lara asked, hearing police sirens as the cars drew near.

"Get out of sight," Kurtis said. "I'm coming to Munich."

"That's pointless," Lara said, hiding herself behind the building. "Karel would love nothing more than to draw more Lux knights out."

"Lara, I'm coming no matter what you say," he said. "It's not up for discussion."

"Kurtis, it's not – " But he'd clicked off the line. _It's not practical,_ she thought, exhaling the breath she'd been holding. Across the street, though, Lara could see something suspicious. Was that Kyran standing on the sidewalk, taunting her? She squinted her eyes, trying to see the figure clearly. It was a man in a dark trench coat like Kyran had been wearing, and even though he was clear across the way, she could see a vague smirk on his face. He must've seen her staring, because he turned away, heading down an alley.

_You're not getting away that quickly,_ she thought. Lara quickly ran across the street, dodging traffic and other pedestrians and by-standers. She removed her gun from her holster, stealthing her way in the direction that Kyran had gone. She heard footsteps around the building, and she knew he was right there. She quickly rounded the corner, training her weapon on the back of his head. "Stop," she ordered firmly. To her surprise, he did. Then, he slowly faced her, and evil grin on his face. "Did you set the bomb up?" Lara asked.

"Of course I did," he said simply.

"Why?" she asked. "You're Lux Veritatis. You said it yourself – you want the Cabal dead. Why would you try to kill me?"

"You just keep getting in the way, Lara," he said. Lara raised her weapon to his head, but he merely chuckled. "You can't kill me. The cause would be lost if even one of us died."

"All I need is your dagger," she said. "You yourself are dispensable."

"I think not," he said. He reached a hand out quickly and shot a blast of energy her way, knocking her into the brick wall behind. She hit her head hard, and her body sunk to the ground, unconscious. Kyran casually approached her, kneeling down and scooping the Glock into his possession. He rose to his feet as several mercenaries approached. "Take her," he said. "We'll draw the rest of them out eventually."

The mercenaries scooped Lara up, and Kyran turned away, an evil grin spreading across his face.

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**Whoa ho ho!! Look at that nice little cliffie, that's no a bad view, is it?! Sorry guys, you know how I do it...I have to keep your interest somehow!! Just don't pick up your torches and pitchforks and start shouting "burn the witch". I have it all under control XD**

**_nemesis_: Yes, all the 'brothers' are male...I thought of making a few of them women, but I wanted to be naive and not give Kurtis any reason to draw his eye away from Lara XD XD XD I couldn't help myself!! I know...so low...Sorry, though, as much as I would LOVE to post two chapters at once, I can't do it!! I have to have insurance haha. Nice try, though!! =P  
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**See you all on Friday, May 23!! Thank you for all of your reviews, I really do appreciate it!!  
**


	9. Following

**Oh how you guys make me laugh. I LOVE reading your reviews, seriously! I sit here chuckling the entire time like a fat jolly Santa and my mom wonders what the hell's wrong with me. *sigh* They'll never understand. **

**Well, let's get on with the show, shall we?! =D**

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**Aiden stared out the window from his bedroom, the moon shining in the distance. He'd barely stepped into the building when the car had exploded just hours ago. Ever since then, the orphanage had been on lockdown. The authorities of the home suspected some type of attack on the orphanage itself – Aiden knew it had to be something to do with the Cabal.

He spun the dagger around in his hand, watching the outside carefully, hoping that British woman would come quickly. It was 8:56, and his roomies had already crawled into bed and turned down the lights. Aiden's backpack was set down by his feet with the few items he would need inside it. That woman had told him that the dagger was the most important thing – he would keep it safe.

Aiden sighed quietly, but then became alert when he saw a car pull up on the opposite street. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, watching two men step out of the car, and not the British woman. If they were Cabal, he was going to have to run, and run fast. He quickly grabbed his backpack and shoved the dagger into his pants pocket, then lifted the window and began to descend the ledges. He braced his feet alongside the drainpipe and steadily lowered himself all the way to the ground. Then, he snuck around the trees, trying to stay out of sight.

The only way out was to run down the street, and he was sure to be caught then. Aiden drew in a deep breath, knowing it was the only option. _1…2…3!_ he thought. Then, he bolted down the street, his feet heavy against the pavement. He heard the men say something to each other, obviously aware of his attempted escape. He glanced back, noticing them coming in his direction. _Shit!_ his brain screamed. He tried to run faster, but the next thing he knew, an invisible force had knocking him flat on his face. He tried to stand, but found an overwhelming force holding him down.

Aiden heard footsteps coming in his direction, and he knew those Cabal bastards were coming for him. His brain screamed for him to run, but his body was crippled. He felt a pair of strong hands pulled him to his feet, and he quickly pulled out his dagger, trying to slice at his assailants. They were faster. One of the men grabbed his wrist, twisting it backwards to keep from stabbing him. The other man merely stared on, a calm demeanor about him. Aiden fought to wriggle free as he felt the dagger being taken from his hand.

"Luckily, he came right to us," the calm man said.

"You're lucky I'm not free," Aiden threatened. "I'd kick the shit out of you."

His captor hesitated, then released him. Aiden let go of his fist, preparing to smack that calm bastard in the face. The next thing he knew, though, he was stuck again, and couldn't move. The man merely stared into his eyes. "We're not here to hurt you," he said. "If you'll stop acting up, we'll explain everything."

"Yeah, sure," he said, struggling to break the invisible grip. "Just like last time?"

"We're not Cabal," he said. "We're Lux Veritatis."

After hearing this, Aiden began to relax. The man must've sensed it, because he released his psychic grip on the boy. Aiden rolled his shoulder back, feeling soreness creeping in. "What happened to that lady?" he asked cautiously.

"We're going to find her," his former captor spoke up, stepping into Aiden's view.

"Are you her friends?" Aiden asked.

"Yes," the calm man replied. "I'm Garin Limoux, and this is Kurtis Montsegur. We are your Lux Veritatis brothers."

Aiden glanced from Kurtis to Garin, confusion overtaking him. "What?" he asked.

"We'll explain it all later," Garin promised. "Right now, we need to find Lara and Kyran."

"Can I have my dagger back?" Aiden asked, reaching out his hand.

"You're obviously not in a position to properly take care of yourself," Garin said, taking the dagger from Kurtis as he handed it over. "We'll hold onto it for now."

Aiden scoffed. "Whatever, man."

"If the Cabal _is_ here, we'll need to be on high alert," Garin said, ignoring Aiden and facing Kurtis. "There are four brothers here in Munich right now. We're easy prey for Karel."

"Don't worry about it," Kurtis assured him. "We just need to find Lara and Kyran, and then we're out of here."

"I could be wrong," Aiden said, "but I'm pretty sure I saw Lara running that way." He pointed in the direction of a back alley tucked between two tall office buildings.

Kurtis eyed him suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

"No," he admitted, "I couldn't see around the smoke. But it's worth a try."

Kurtis sighed. "I guess so."

"Check it out," Garin directed, "_carefully._ Kyran is likely to be with her, but it's not certain. Aiden and I will wait in the car and keep an eye out from here."

Kurtis nodded, crossing the street to reach the back alley. Even if Lara _had _gone there, it didn't mean she'd still be there, obviously. Worst of all, what she'd been kidnapped by some Cabal mercenaries instead of just wandering off to find Kyran? Kurtis sighed, folding his arms over his chest to think. There were muddy footsteps in the alley, but they led nowhere. _An empty clue,_ he thought.

"Hey, mister," a rugged voice called in the distance.

Kurtis whirled around, his hand reaching for his Boran X. He removed his hand when he saw that the person was just a homeless man. Kurtis eyed him suspiciously. "Take it easy," he said. "What do you want?"

"Some money for a coffee," he said, coughing hoarsely.

"Well, I want information," Kurtis retorted.

"About what?" he asked, revealing his toothless mouth.

"How long have you been sitting out here?"

He shrugged. "Probably for two or three hours." He looked up at Kurtis. "Are you looking for the pretty brunette lady?"

"Yeah," he replied. "You know something?"

"For some spare change, I know a lot."

Kurtis sighed, tossing a dollar in his direction. "Here," he said. "Now tell me everything."

The man looked down at the bill, then glared at Kurtis. "American money?"

"Get on with it," he said.

The man sighed, pocketing his dollar. "A man with a dark coat came through here and knocked her out. Then, he took her away."

"A man?" Kurtis asked. "What man?"

"Some man, I don't know," he said.

"Start remembering."

He sighed. "Dark hair, dark eyes, long trench coat, real mean grin on his face…"

Kurtis instantly became enraged. It had to have been Kyran – at least it wasn't Karel. But would that really have been any better? What difference did it make? At least Karel didn't pretend to be a good guy. He knew he was an evil bastard. "Did you see which way they went?"

"I don't remember…" Kurtis was growing extremely frustrated, and in an act of rage, he removed his gun from his holster, pointing it at the man's head. The man shielded his face. "Watch it!" he shouted. "They went that way!" He pointed to another back alley, keeping one hand over his face. Kurtis glared at him, then returned his weapon to its holster. "Thanks," he replied dryly.

He glared at the man as he headed down the back alley, anger quickly seeping through his being. He could hardly remember the last time he'd been this enraged – not only was he pissed off about what Kyran had done, he was deathly afraid for Lara's safety, and to top everything off, flashes of the image of his old house in Utah were going through his mind every five minutes. Everything was boiling to the surface, and Kurtis fought to control it. He gripped his head in his hand, closing his eyes, and drew in a deep breath. He still had one option – Farsee.

Kurtis reached out his hands and let his mind wander through the mists of an unseen time. He went past the buildings, down the alleys, past the dumpster, and over the brick wall. A car was driving in haste down the north end of the road just beyond the brick wall – a black sedan, with several suspicious figures inside. _Could it be them?_ he thought. He felt the edges of his vision tingling, and he was going to lose his grip in a moment's time. He quickly glimpsed the license, and then returned to his body, jerking backwards. He repeated the numbers over and over in his head, bolting down the alley and towards the car where Aiden and Garin were. He climbed in as quickly as he could manage. "Get on the highway and go north," he directed.

Without asking for explanation, Garin pulled onto the street and headed down the road, driving towards the highway onramp. There was no need to tell him to hurry – he was already going at least twenty miles over the speed limit, and he reached the onramp in record time. Kurtis craned his neck to see through the traffic, searching for the black sedan he'd seen just moments ago. Then, as they weaved through the red and blue four-door cars just before them, he saw it. "Slow down," Kurtis said. "We don't want to be seen." He gestured for Aiden to switch seats with him so he could see from the front. "It took us two hours to get here," Kurtis speculated. "I wonder why they're leaving just now."

"You sure they don't know that we're following them?" Garin asked carefully.

"Hadn't thought of it," Kurtis admitted, "but Lara's in trouble."

Garin kept one hand on the wheel and then reached into his pocket, removing Aiden's dagger, and handing it back to the young boy in the back seat. Aiden stared at him in confusion. "You said you were going to hold onto it," he reminded Garin.

"Yeah, but you need to activate its aura," Garin instructed.

"Do what?" Aiden asked, growing more confused.

"Put a psychic force field around it," Garin explained, lightening the language. "An orb of energy around it."

Aiden drew in a deep breath, then held his hands out just above the blade that lay in his lap. He closed his eyes, and the dagger began to rise into the air. Then, he groaned, and the dagger fell to his lap. "I can't," he said.

"Aiden, do it," Kurtis demanded, removing his gun to defend themselves against the Cabal enemies ahead. "Our lives depend on it. _Focus._"

Aiden sighed, his self-confidence seeping away. He reached his hands out again, concentrating as hard as he could on the weapon that lay before him. Then, after a moment, the dagger rose into the air again, shaking with his inexperience. He fought to maintain control over his abilities. "Hurry up, Aiden," Kurtis said worriedly. Aiden focused hard on the dagger. _Come on,_ he thought. _Work!_ He closed his eyes, and then pushed his energy forward, locking the dagger into a psychic orb. He sighed, watching as the weapon floated in its shield of protection.

"Good job," Kurtis said.

"Why did I do that?" Aiden asked.

"They can't find us now," Garin said. "Well, unless they see us with their own eyes of course."

"You don't know how to handle your powers very well, do you?" Kurtis asked.

"My dad died when I was thirteen," he reminded him. "I haven't had any proper training."

"Well, we'll fix that," Kurtis said, loading a clip into his gun.

The sedan quickly pulled itself through the next off-ramp. Garin slowed his pace and then followed after them, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Kurtis ducked down halfway as not be seen, but kept a steady glare on the car before them as it pulled around through a back alley. "Stop here," Kurtis directed, pointing to an alley opposite the one they were in. Kurtis quickly climbed out of the car, summoning his Farsee ability once again to reach the sedan. He saw four masked mercenaries and Kyran in the driver's seat. He was directing the mercenaries in some foreign language. _Is he speaking Czech? _Kurtis asked himself. He didn't know Kyran was so…culturally affluent.

Then, he saw two of the mercenaries exit the car, opening the trunk. There were two bodies tucked inside, both masked with black bags, hands bound. They removed the body that was closer to the edge, lifted it, and then dumped it next to the brick wall. Kyran shouted for them to get back in the car, this time in English. They quickly did so, and then the car pulled away, speeding through the lanes. Kurtis returned back to his body, feeling his energy draining away. Then, he bolted across the street before he could offer an explanation to his brothers.

He held his gun low, watching for any signs of a trap, then holstered the weapon as he approached the body. He removed the bag, and was shocked to gaze down at – Kyran?

Kurtis's face knit into confusion as he untied the unconscious man's hands. Kyran groaned, slowly stirring himself awake. Then, his eyes flickered open staring up at Kurtis. "What the…?" he said slowly, his voice hoarse. "What the hell's going on?"

"You tell me," Kurtis said, confused and angry at the same time.

Garin and Aiden approached them, looks of shock crossing over their faces as well. "Kyran?" Garin asked.

"Never thought I'd be glad to see you," he said, coughing. "Or any of you."

"You wouldn't happen to have a twin brother, would you?" Garin asked, bending down near his comrade.

"Like hell," Kyran said. "You think my parents could have put up with two of me?"

Then, Kurtis became enraged. He rose to his feet, stepping away from the group, facing out to the street. "It's Karel," he said. "He's a shape-shifter." He'd seen it before, and the thought just made him sick. He fought to take control of his mind, but he was losing it. _I'm going to make that son of a bitch pay,_ he thought, clenching his fists. The fence beyond began to shake, and the shutters of the windows nearby began to rattle. Garin rose to his feet, watching the events in confusion and shock. Then, he looked to Kurtis. He quickly approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Relax," he said calmly. "We'll find her."

Kurtis wasn't about to relax, but he did so anyway. He loosened his fists and drew in a deep breath. The shaking of the fence and the rattling of the windows ceased as he took control of his psychic capacity. Then, he faced Garin as though nothing had happened. "Let's go," he said. He turned and quickly headed back to their car, the others following shortly after.

Kyran muttered and whined as he strapped himself into the backseat, Aiden seated beside him. An idea struck Kurtis, and he tapped into his headset to page Alister and Zip.

"Hey, Kurtis," Zip said. "How's it going?"

"Do you guys have a global GPS over there?"

Zip chuckled. "I've got everything," he said. "What do you need?"

"A trace on a license plate," he said.

"Easiest thing I've ever done," Zip boasted. "Give it to me."

Kurtis read off the number of the license plate, recalling the digits with simplicity. He heard Zip typing away at the keyboard, and he heard U2 blaring in the background. _Just like Zip,_ he thought, even though he didn't know him as well as he made it seem. "Got it," Zip said after a moment. "It just got on the east-bound highway. It looks like they're pulling off right about…now. They're pulling up behind a warehouse."

"How about aerial shots of the warehouse?" Kurtis asked.

"Um…" Zip pondered, clicking away on the keyboard. "Got them. It looks like…like an old mine shaft, or something. Satellite feeds show it with several levels of ground, lots of steel, and lots of metal air shafts."

"Sounds like the perfect place for a Cabal hideout," Kurtis said.

"Wouldn't doubt it," Zip agreed.

"Thanks for the help," Kurtis said, switching off quickly. He relayed the directions to Garin, who pulled back onto the highway, heading east. They would reach that warehouse in just minutes, and when they did, there would be hell to pay for the Cabal.

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**You guys made me so proud!! I think ALL of you caught onto Karel's little trick!! Everyone gets free coo-kehs!! =D**

**_nemesis: _Haha, yes I felt the same way. If they've got Lara, that's all they need...not to mention in AOD, in the Vault of Trophies, all the statues appeared to be male...Idk. It just seemed right for the story =P**

**_Jade the Grey: _Haha, I think Lara can handle being stuck with all of those guys...she could kick their asses in sixty seconds if she wanted to. It's Lara!! XD**

**_trfanfrombeg_: Your opinion of Alister made me laugh. Whiney and deoenedent?! He IS, isn't he?! That's probably why it's so fun to pick on him...*sigh*My favorite mental depiction of Kurty-Wurty is with that cocky little grin on his face haha (Me and my cousin came up with that name...she used to watch me play AOD on the PS2 when she was like seven haha). I like your 'Kurtisimo' name though. Quite original!! XD XD XD XD  
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**Well, everyone! I appreciate your reviews, and I welcome the new fans again!! It makes me so happy to see your smiling faces as you pound away at the keyboard to send me a review. I really love it =D So I will see everyone on Monday, May 25!! We'll check in with Lara and see how she's holding up...  
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	10. Strange Heroism

**Back again, everyone. Welcome to chapter ten! Time to check up on Lara and see how she's doing...**

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Lara could hear her heart beating in her head, and she could feel a pounding in her brain. She was sure her eyes were open, but she couldn't see a damn thing. Where was she? What had happened? She attempted to draw in a breath of air, but found she couldn't – something was covering her head. She reached her hands up, but found, by way of feeling, that they were tied. She tried to pull them apart, but they had been bound tightly. She sighed in her mind, and reached up, pulling the bag away that was covering her face. _Better,_ she thought. At least she could see now.

Lara squinted as light entered her vision. It was coming from a single hanging lamp on the dingy moss-green ceiling. The room reeked of algae and stale paint. Where the hell was she? She attempted to sit up, but found a shooting pain work its way down her back. Her entire body ached, and she groaned in pain as she leaned against the wall. She could imagine she looked a mess – terribly messy brown hair, half-open eyes, a dazed look. She glanced about the room. There was a white door in the corner and a cheap rusty, metal table on the opposite side. The floor panels were different shades of green. _It looks almost like the Sanitarium,_ Lara thought, shuddering at the thought of the mindless zombies that had walked the halls of the forgotten psych ward.

She fought desperately to remember what had happened, closing her eyes for a moment. _I found Aiden…there was a car bomb…I found Kyran…_That's where she had last been conscious. Kyran had attacked her. He must've kidnapped her and dragged her here. She wasn't quite sure why he'd done it – hadn't he been one-hundred-percent against the Cabal and all of its efforts? Unless he had a different agenda…

Lara sighed, looking down at her bound hands. They were tied together with wire. _No problem,_ Lara thought. Of course, her guns were gone, and her backpack as well, but she always kept a small blade tucked into her boot. She reached down, gripping it, grinning as she began to saw away at the wire. It was a difficult task, especially at such a formidable angle, but she managed to do it, and the wire sawed in half. She pulled her wrists apart, rubbing them as the raw skin began to break and bleed. Lara closed her mind off to the pain and returned her blade to her boot, trying to fight off the dizziness that came to her as soon as she rose to her feet.

Lara heard footsteps coming down the hall. In the next moment, the door opened, and Kyran stepped inside, grinning that sadistic grin. He was accompanied by four armed mercenaries, as Lara would expect.

"Comfy, my dear?" he asked.

"As well as can be expected," she said, her voice hoarse.

He chuckled, outstretching his arms to gesture about the room. "I'm sorry the suite wasn't available. You'll have to stick to the basic room for now."

"So you're not with the Cabal," Lara said, "but you're not with the Lux Veritatis. I'm confused."

Kyran grinned devilishly, taking a step away to pace about the room casually. Lara eyed him suspiciously, clenching her fist at her side. Then, before her eyes, he changed appearances. Her stomach nearly dropped at the sight of his various profiles flashing through in several instances. Then, Karel appeared to her, grinning unusually.

"Ah," Lara said, folding her arms over her chest. "That explains a lot. So where is Kyran, then?"

"That's unimportant," he said.

"Translated as 'dead'?" she asked.

"Perhaps," he said. "I wouldn't know. As I said, it's unimportant. What _is_ important is this." Karel removed a jade dagger from his coat pocket, and Lara's eyes widened. _Idiot,_ she scolded herself. She'd just given Karel the truth in her reaction – that the dagger was of importance. Although she was sure that he already knew it. Karel grinned devilishly. "It really is a beautiful artifact, isn't it?"

"It'd be a lot more beautiful in the hands of the person whom it rightfully belongs to," she said, glaring.

"A matter of opinion," he said, returning it to his coat.

"And what is it that you plan to do with me?" she asked. "Hold me hostage here until I die of old age?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," he said. "You won't be bored at all, but I'm not sure the alternative will be better than suffering boredom."

Lara merely smirked at him as the mercenaries came towards her, taking her by the arms and dragging her out of the room. They followed after Karel, who snaked his way down the halls of the strange basement-like building. Lara passively took note of everything she passed – four blue doors, two hallways, an old cafeteria, a short hallway with light at the end, an elevator shaft, metal air shafts hanging from the ceiling. If she could find a way out of her enemies' clutches, she could possibly get out through either the elevator shaft or the vents.

Karel entered a room much alike the room she had previously been in. They forced her into a cold metal chair, tying her wrists to the armrests. Then, they stepped back, assuming a military-like position alongside the door. Karel approached Lara casually, his hands behind his back.

"So you're going to torture me, then?" Lara asked calmly.

"You can make it as difficult as you want," Karel responded. "Tell me what you know, and your sentence will be lighter."

Lara grinned challengingly at him. "I don't think so."

"You're going to do this the hard way?"

"It's the _only _way I do things," she said.

"Very well, Miss Croft," he sighed. "Again, I've offered you my benefits, and you've rudely turned them down."

"Forgive me," Lara said sarcastically.

"We'll start simply," he said. He nodded to his guard in the back corner, who approached Lara and hit her across the face with the butt of his rifle. She slowly looked back up at Karel, glaring at him with hatred. Karel merely stared down at her. "It's going to take a lot more to get even a titter out of me," Lara said lowly.

"If that's the way it has to be, so be it," he said.

The guard removed a knife and yanked one of Lara's hands behind her back. He dragged the tip over the bare skin on her forearm, puncturing it just enough to cause blood. Then, he drilled the tip of the blade under her fingernails. Lara gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, summoning all of her strength to block out the pain. _When I get free, that bastard is going to get it,_ she thought. She squeezed her eyes together, feeling blood seep from her fingertips. A small groan escaped her mouth. The last thing she would do would let Karel know how much it hurt.

The guard stopped prodding for a moment. Lara opened her eyes, breathing heavily as she looked up at Karel. "Is that it?" she challenged.

Karel drew in a deep breath, as if it bothered him more than it did her. "Very well," he said. The guard smacked Lara across the face again, causing blood to erupt fro under the skin just below her eye. She felt the guard grip her by her braid and yank her head backwards. She gritted her teeth again as he pulled her hair, threatening to snap her neck off. Lara couldn't keep her eyes open, and she fought with her strength to pull her neck away from the grip of her captor. _Wait for it…_she thought. She felt and heard the guard lean closer to her, then she jerked her head backwards, butting his head. He staggered backwards, releasing her hair. Lara glared up at Karel again as the angry guard returned, backhanding her, causing her lip to split.

"Enough," Karel said nonchalantly. "This is obviously pointless."

"I was wondering when you'd realize it," Lara said, more than relieved.

"Although we haven't quite reached the guns yet," Karel speculated, "knowing you, it won't make a difference."

"So what to do with me now?" Lara asked sarcastically.

"Oh, I'm not finished yet," he said. Karel approached her as the guards held her shoulders firmly back. Then, Karel placed a hand on either side of her head and closed his eyes. Immediately, Lara began to feel a sharp pain shoot through her head – it was worse than any migraine she'd ever experienced. The intense pain surged through her head and down her spine. If Karel thought this would make her budge, it still wouldn't – but _what_ was he doing?

Then it occurred to Lara – he was trying to read her mind, to break down her mental blocks. She needed to do everything she could to think of anything but the brothers and the daggers. She tried to focus on something random – a flowery pasture, the clouds in the sky, a cow in the field. _Anything._ She even started doing a math problem in her head. _Find all degree solutions of cos4x = ½, _she thought, remembering her trigonometry from high school.

Then, to her surprise, Karel staggered backwards, releasing her. She felt completely exhausted, as if she'd run twenty miles in twenty minutes. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd hold up. Karel chuckled. "Now you're just toying with me, Miss Croft."

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked, exasperated.

"You won't be able to hold out much longer, Lara," Karel warned. "It's just not mentally or physically possible."

"Try me," she bellowed.

Karel reached towards her head again, forcing her into the same pain again. _Perhaps he's right,_ she thought. Then, she realized her mistake. She'd given Karel leeway. She returned her mind to something random. _Silent night, holy night…_she sang in her mind. Karel staggered backwards, and for a brief moment, Lara's vision clouded. She was on the verge of fainting. This time, Karel wasn't laughing. He was glaring evilly, and he was angry. "You're pushing me too far," he said warily.

Lara had no strength to retort. She merely stared up at him with hatred. "Go to hell," was all she could muster to say. Karel glared evilly, then backhanded her, sending her to a slumped-over position in her chair. He rolled his wrists over, letting the green energy surge throughout his arms. "Fine, then," he said. "I suppose all this talk is just slowing me down."

_I'm going to die,_ Lara thought. Karel drew his hand back, preparing to kill her. Then, the wall blew out in an unexpected explosion. The mercenaries and Karel were impaled with sheet-rock from the walls, but Lara was unharmed. Somehow, the debris had managed to avoid her. She slowly opened her drooping eyes to see the figure of a man standing several feet before her. He had several different guns on his person, and a menacing look of duty in his eyes. Lara wasn't sure who he was, but she could barely keep her eyes open. The man walked in her direction and then stopped, standing beside her. He removed a small grenade-like object from his belt and tossed it forward. It emitted a vertical blue light, which then extended in both directions, acting as what Lara assumed to be a force-field. Then, he turned to Lara and began to untie her bounds.

"We don't have much time," he said, removing the second bondage. "The shield should hold Karel off for two minutes maximum. Your friends are here, luckily not too far into the building."

The man slung Lara's arm over his shoulder and helped her to her feet, pulling her out of the room and down the hallway. Whenever a guard approached, he merely shot a surge of energy in his direction, knocking him away. It was apparent that this man was brave, and strong, and wasn't afraid of confrontation. He headed down the hallway to the left, entering into the elevator. They could hear more guards running down the hall. The man casually pressed the button to ascend to the ground floor, and the doors closed just in time. Then, they heard bullets flying on the opposite side. Again, the man remained calm, fearless.

He held onto Lara's arm with one hand and removed an SMG rifle from over his shoulder with the other. When the elevator doors opened, he opened fire on the guards that stood just outside. Not a single bullet touched him or Lara. He casually walked out, Lara's weight limp under her inability to even stand. He rounded a corner, drawing his weapon to aim at the person approaching. Then, he lowered it as the man lowered his. Kurtis stared in shock at the woman slumped under this stranger's arm.

"Is this your friend?" the man asked quickly.

"Yeah," he said.

"Take her out of here," he said, "and get yourself out as well."

"Who are you?" Kurtis asked, confused.

"Willard DeCombel," he replied, handing Lara over to Kurtis. He held his gun close to his side. "Now if you'll excuse me –" He glanced backwards as more guards came down the hall – "I have some other tasks to handle."

"We need you –"

"I'll meet you outside."

"No, you can't just –" But the man had already turned away, preparing to "handle his tasks". Kurtis pulled Lara closer to his body and moved as quickly as he could outside. He'd never seen her in such a dangerous state. What had they done to her? The thought of anyone hurting Lara only further angered him, and he fought to hold control over his psychic abilities yet again.

Kuris and Lara staggered outside into the light, and he moved as quickly as possible to the opposite side of the street where Garin, Kyran, and Aiden waited in the car. Aiden quickly climbed out of the back of the car and opened it for Kurtis to rest Lara across the seat.

"What's wrong with her?" Aiden asked nervously.

"I don't know…" Kurtis muttered. Her eyes flickered shut, and he quickly felt for a pulse. She was unconscious, but she was alright, for the most part. He removed his hands from her body, and stared down at the blood covering his palms. _Shit,_ he thought. Karel was going to pay.

"You can't go back," Garin said. "I know how much you want to put Karel in his place, but it's too dangerous."

"Yeah, I know," Kurtis said irritably. "'The Punisher' is already in there anyway."

"Who?" Kyran asked.

"Willard DeCombel," he replied. "He said he'd be out here in a minute."

Garin looked up just in time to see a man coming their way. "Is this DeCombel?" he asked Kurtis carefully.

Kurtis glanced up. "Yeah, that's him."

The man approached the car, turned around, threw something towards the building, then turned back to the car. "You must be Garin Limoux," he said. As soon as he finished his sentence, the building exploded. All but Willard startled at the echoing boom.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Kyran asked harshly.

"Take care of things," he said.

"You know that's a huge liability," Kyran said passively.

"Only God will judge me," he responded nonchalantly.

"Yeah, sure," Kyran said.

"I have a place in Frankfurt," he said. "We'll go there. All will be safe."

Kyran eyed him irritably as he approached a nearby car, smashing in the window. "This guy is a kook."

They heard the car starting behind them, and Aiden gasped. "Did he _hotwire_ that car?" he asked, half-shocked and half-amused.

"Looks that way," Kurtis said, hearing the engine rev behind him. "Aiden, Kyran, go with him. I need to stay with Lara."

"Sure, kick _us _out," Kyran muttered.

Kyran and Aiden slipped out of the car and headed towards the car that Willard had started. Garin turned to Kurtis. "Does he have the daggers?" he asked quickly. Kurtis quickly glanced back, just in time to see Willard hold up two jade daggers, then return them to his coat.

"He's got them," Kurtis breathed.

Garin picked up his phone, dialing a number. He hesitated for a moment as he turned the engine over. "Davis, it's Garin," he said. "You and Zeth need to meet us in Frankfurt. We've found the DeCombel brother." He confirmed more statements over the phone, then hung up. He shifted the car into drive, and quickly pulled onto the street.

Kurtis leaned back in the car, sighing. He was thankful to be getting away from that bastard, Karel. When he looked down at Lara, though, pain seeped through his being, and for some reason, he immediately remembered their fight the few nights ago. He closed his eyes in guilt. _I'm so sorry, Lara,_ he thought. He stared forward, through the windshield, praying that when she awoke in Frankfurt, he would find a way to appropriately apologize to her.

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**Eh, I'm not really, you know..._good_ at writing 'torture scenes'...but you get the idea. Thank God they got Lara out of there, though, eh? Damn Karel, always being a sadist.**

**_nemesis_ - ...you know what, I did not bother coming up with a reason as to how Karel survived since Utah...it's Karel. He's seemingly invincible. Forgive me for that XD**

**_OveractiveImaginer_ - You know what...I have no idea why they didn't just kill Kyran...oh well! Pretend they drugged him or something =P Thanks to my half-hearted, un-thought-through approaches to story-writing haha.  
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**_trfanfrombeg - _Yeah, I can see where you're coming from about Aiden...idk, perhaps if I decide to make like a seventeenth part to this series, he'll have a big role haha. And that line? Well, it's something I've said before, haha, hence where I came up with it XD I always tell people to be thankful that I don't have a twin. And AGAIN you hit the nail on the head! I keep having this vision of the 'Jean Grey phoenix'...especially when I wrote that part in the Fountain of Youth when Andrea kicked Rutland's ass. Kurtis, however, has a lot better self-control...**

**Okay guys...hope you enjoyed that. Let's see how Lara and Kurtis 'make up' in the next chapter ;) I'll meet you at Chapter 11 on Thursday!! Toodles!!  
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	11. Making Up

**Happy Thursday to all, at least that's what I hope it is...*sigh* Well, since L&K have been on a dry spell for *ahem* like...three months...I thought we should give them their 'alone time'...so read on. It's shaggadelic, baby!! XD**

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**_Green orbs of energy flew in Lara's direction, and no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't get away from them. One struck her in the back, and her entire body flew forward, smacking clean against the brick wall that lay before her. She struggled to sit up, but was instantly covered in blood. She had no strength in her body._

_Lara looked up to see a dark figure approaching. She heard a low, evil chuckle and the man stepped into plain view. It was Karel. He held his hands up, letting green energy form in his palms. Then, he raised his hands up. "You're pushing me too far," he said. Then, he shot the energy in her direction to kill her._

Lara sat straight up, gasping for air. She was surrounded by darkness, except for a small amount of light coming from the window to her right. Where was she? She felt soreness overtake her body, and her fingertips on her right hand were swollen. Her tricep was wrapped in white bandage, and she twisted her arm around to see blood seeping through the bandage in a vertical line. Someone had tended to her wounds, but who?

Lara had no idea where she was. She was lying atop a king-sized bed. The bedspread was an elegant bohemian fabric, and the curtains along the window matched it. The temperature of the massive room was cool, and Lara felt her body relaxing. She sensed, somehow, that she wasn't in danger. But she still couldn't move. Just sitting up had been an effort.

The door to the room opened, and a dim light from the hallway entered in. "You awake?" a voice asked. Lara felt her heart soar. _Kurtis,_ she thought. She never knew she could be so happy to hear his voice. "Unfortunately," she said in a hoarse voice.

Kurtis closed the door behind him, then approached the bed, pulling up the nearby chair and taking a seat. "Bad dreams?" he asked.

"Karel has that effect on people, apparently," she said, chuckling softly.

Kurtis gestured towards her arm. "I wrapped your arm for you," he said. "It wasn't deep, but it was bleeding pretty heavily."

Lara nodded, offering a subtle, weak smile as gratitude. Of course, she was glad to be with Kurtis, but now, the awkwardness was erupting. The last time they'd really talked, they fought. That hadn't turned out well. Lara didn't know what to say this time. She stuck to what she knew best – business. "The others?" she asked.

"They're in their rooms," he said. "Willard DeCombel is the one who actually rescued you. He dragged you out of Karel's hideout and then proceeded to blow up the building and hijack a car."

"I vaguely remember that…" she admitted.

"What else do you remember?" he asked. "What happened? What did Karel do?"

Lara sighed, looking down at the bedspread, and picking at the string that began to unravel. "Well, they tried to beat the information out of me, but I wouldn't budge. Then, Karel did something…I think he was trying to read my mind, and I was doing everything I could to keep him out."

"Yeah, you're good at that," he said, chuckling a bit. Then, he realized his mistake. It was meant to be a joke, but the look in Lara's eyes was of guilt, and not humor. He immediately felt sorry for saying that, and knew he should leave. He sighed quietly as he rose. "Well, I'll be off to bed then. You should get your rest." He stepped away towards the door, but Lara stopped him.

"Kurtis…" she breathed quietly. He slowly turned around to face her. Lara winced as she edged her way towards the end of the bed. She reached her feet to the floor, then stood. Immediately, her legs turned to jelly, and she nearly fell to the floor. Kurtis quickly reached out and caught her, holding her up. He expected her to push him away – that was what Lara did. She would push people away to prove her strengths. This time, though, she didn't. She let his gentle fingers scale down her bare arms as she buckled her legs to stand up straight. Then, she looked deeply into his eyes. "Kurtis, there…there's so much I have to tell you…"

"Lara, you're exhausted," he said. Strike two. He hadn't meant to imply that this impulse to express her feelings was stimulated by her exhaustion. She must've thought it, but she pushed it away.

"I…" She sighed with frustration, looking away from him. She faced away from him, raising a hand to her forehead, apparently irritated with herself. After a silent moment, she faced him again, staring up into his eyes. She slowly reached her hands around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. Their lips met, and she felt Kurtis hands slide down her back, reaching for the edge of her shirt. She arched into him as he lifted it over her head, revealing nothing more than her bare skin and silk bra. Then, she reached her hands around his waist, pulling him closer to her, and at the same time, ridding him of his own shirt.

Their mouths met again, and then he ushered her towards the bed. Lara eased herself onto the edge, just inches away from the warmth of Kurtis's body. She let her fingers trail down the bare flesh of his abdomen, the creases of muscle igniting a tingling feeling in her fingertips. Then, she reached for the waistband of his pants, unbuttoning and slipping the garment off until he stood before her in just his boxers. Kurtis leaned forward, meeting Lara's mouth yet again, and leaned over her until she lay completely horizontal on the bed. She reached her hands over her head, reaching for the headboard as Kurtis removed her shorts. She closed her eyes, unable to believe that here they were again, in the throes of passion, even after everything that happened.

Lara waited for Kurtis to enter her, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes, looking up at him strangely. There was solemn and guilt swamping his beautiful blue eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"I can't do this," he said. "Not until…" He drew in a breath, dropping his head a bit until it touched the bare flesh of her chest. "What I said the other night…" he muttered.

Lara reached her arms around his neck, stroking the bare skin of his back gently. "It's alright," she said. "What's past is past." He looked up at her, and in an instant, the guilt had been swallowed by atonement, and he could feel that he was forgiven. He dropped a kiss on her neck, trailing them down her chest. He steadied himself over her, the heat between their bodies causing them both to sweat and exhale heavily.

****Author's Note: Short sexual scene follows this...if you don't want to read, skip it and pick up after the line break just ahead...** **

Kurtis pressed himself into her, and she gasped, fighting to bite back the moan that threatened to escape her mouth. She reached her arms down, gripping the edge of the bed to maintain some sense of control. Then, she closed her eyes, letting the friction of love between the two of them warm her heart and soul. She had to let him know. She had to tell him. She couldn't hold back any longer. Not when these feelings came over her every time they made love.

Seconds turned to minutes, and several minutes passed. Kurtis exhaled once more, then let his weight collapse atop the woman below him. As exhausted as he was, he couldn't let these feelings fade away so quickly. He wanted all of Lara – just for himself. He kissed her full on the mouth, savoring her taste like never before. Then, he looked into her glossy eyes – was something wrong? "You okay?" he whispered.

Of course she was okay. She was _spectacular._ She released a breath of laughter, kissing him for another few moments. Then, she looked into his eyes, letting her fingers unconsciously run along the bare skin of the muscles of his arms. The entire time, her eyes remained locked with his. "I love you," she whispered.

Shock overtook Kurtis's entire being – yet somehow, he didn't reveal it. It was as if he'd expected it. And in essence, he did. He knew it was true – he had just needed to wait for her to be ready to physically say it to him. He grinned down at her. "I was wondering when you'd get around to saying it," he said, dropping more kisses along the nape of her neck.

She laughed as she wrapped her arms around his body, ready to give herself to him again, and again, and again. She would be his all night if he wanted it.

* * *

Lara awakened the following morning, the warmth of the sun's rays creeping through the window and onto her face. She groaned as she rolled over, the soreness still in her body from yesterday. And she had a pounding headache to go along with it.

Kurtis wasn't in the room. Lara assumed he'd already risen, showered, and was walking about in the house – house? Where exactly was she? Kurtis hadn't explained that little gem the night before. She rose as quickly as she could, dressing herself, and slowly opening the door to peer down the hall. The place was monstrous – perhaps the same size as the Croft Manor. She quietly made her way to the stairs that led to the first floor, hearing voices down below. She descended once she recognized them to be of the brothers.

"Well, glad to see you're alive and kicking," one of the men said to her, taking a piece of toast from the plate on the table.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Willard DeCombel," he introduced himself. "I don't suppose you'd remember that, though…"

"I'm sorry," Lara admitted. "And is this your home?"

"It is," he said. "Well, for now. Here in Frankfurt."

"Frankfurt," Lara repeated. She glanced around, counting the heads at the table. Garin, Kyran, Aiden, Davis, Zeth, and this Willard guy. Where was Kurtis? She looked up in time to see him entering the room from the kitchen. He smiled at her, a smile that melted her insides. She offered a subtle smile in return, then turned her attention back to Willard. "If I remember correctly, you left quite a wake back at the Cabal's hideout."

"I did," he said casually. "It's the Cabal. They deserve no less."

"And Karel was impersonating Kyran, correct?" Garin asked, pouring himself a glass of juice.

"He was," Lara confirmed quietly. "He likes to do that – to change personalities at ever-so convenient times."

"I can imagine," Garin muttered.

"So what then?" Lara asked, jumping straight to business. "We only have one more brother left to find."

"That's right," Zeth interrupted. "And then we take the daggers to the portal that will lead us to Lemuria."

"Any ideas as to where this portal could be?"

"I've yet to do my research on it entirely," Zeth confessed, "but I'll get on it."

"Then in that case, there's someone I think you should meet," Lara said, hooking her video and audio devices to the giant flat screen in the dining room. Then, she removed her cell phone, dialing her home number. It rang a few times, and then Zip's face came clearly onto the screen. "Hey, Lara. How's it…" He stopped, confused at all the people in the background. "Who are they?" he asked slowly.

"The Lux Veritatis brothers," Lara responded. "All but one, anyway."

Alister appeared on camera, yawning as he did so. "How's it going, Lara?"

"As well as can be expected," Lara responded. "Confrontations with Karel, those sorts of things…"

"Ah, splendid," he muttered.

"How soon can you boys be here?" Lara asked.

"Uh…later this afternoon?" Zip asked. "In Frankfurt…? I'm assuming, since that's where the feed is coming from…"

"Yes, in Frankfurt," Lara said. "We'll need to call on your expertise for a few things. Alister, when you get here, you and Zeth are to exchange research about Lemuria –"

"Lemuria?" Alister asked. "The lost island east of Africa?"

"Whatever," Lara said, ignoring him. "I want you two to see what you can see. Two geniuses are better than one."

"Very well," Alister sighed. "We'll be there in a few hours."

"Wonderful," Lara commented. "We'll see you then." Lara switched the communications off, then turned to face the boys around the table. "My tech wizards," she said, introducing Zip and Alister passively to the brothers. "Alister and Zeth should get along famously."

"Perfect," Garin commented. "Now, while you were resting yesterday, I was able to conduct some research of my own about the Bogomil brother."

"Yes?" Lara asked.

"He's in Moscow, Russia," he said. "Well, he lives there anyway."

"So we go to Russia," Kurtis said, stepping forward. "By the time we come back with him, and both of the remaining daggers, we should hopefully have a spot on where the portal to Lemuria is located."

"Hopefully…" Kyran speculated with sarcasm.

"Alister and Zeth together should make things twice as fast," Lara assured them. "There should be no worries." Lara strapped her boots tightly over her legs, and collected her backpack and other belongings. "We should be in Russia later this evening. I advise that you guys take turns activating the auras of your daggers to keep Karel from finding you. Just make sure there's enough juice left over for when we reach the portal to Lemuria."

"Of course," Garin said. "All will be well. Have fun in Moscow."

* * *

**There, are you guys happy now??!?!?! XD Lara and Kurtis are back in the swing...AND she's confessed her true love! Woo!! Lara deserves a chocolate candy bar (in little blue and white wrappers haha).  
**

**_trfanfrombeg_ - I actually got the prying nails up idea from Lost...like the eighth episode of the first season...I used to be a Lost addict, until the story turned into an acid trip and nothing at all made sense. But that's beside the point XD YES I'm a Marvel fan too, though not as strongly as a TR fan of course haha. I have a total infatuation with John aka Pyro...*sigh* Dreeeamy. Although the real Punisher is much cooler than Willard DeCombel haha.**

**_FenixFire93_ - I do that all the time...except the ones I read usually haven't been updated in like...a year and a half...so I get all disappointed =P I think Zeth is total dork too, but a cute one haha. Like Riley in National Treasure!! He's so cute XD That's my inspiration drawn for Zeth haha. **

**_inmate1099_ - Nope, torture scenes are NOT my thing haha. And there are eight brothers total...I agree, the list does seem to drag on. And you don't remember the sanitarium?! It was one of Kurty-Wurty's levels in AOD with the mindless zombies running amuck!! XD That level used to scare the hell out of me...I would usually scream and throw the controller to whoever was closest so they could do away with the zombies haha.**

**And everyone seemed to like the whole 'trigonometry and Silent Night' thing about the last chapter...haha. I had been doing my damn math homework prior to that...you know how after you do math homework for prolonged periods of time, you see the numbers and equations floating around in your head for hours after you finish...?...okay, maybe that's just me. But that gave me inspiration for the torture scene XD**

**Well...I will see you guys in Moscow, Russia, on Monday, June 1! WOW it will be the start of June! How unfortunate!! XD (I hate summer). Okay, take care, all!! XD XD  
**


	12. The Last Brother

**Hello to all! Well, it seems for some reason that it's been forever since there's been a REAL action, artifact-hunting scene, so that's why I love this chapter. Welcome to Russia, ladies and gentlemen! Read on!! (And didn't anyone catch my little joke last chapter about the candy bar...? XD)  
**

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* * *

  
**It was snowing in Russia when the chopper landed. The night sky was pitch black, and the few stars above were nothing more than a twinkle. Lara pulled the collar of her jacket closer to her neck, glancing over at Kurtis as he approached, trudging through the snow. "Not quite how I expected it," he said, reaching her side.

"I'll take cold weather over hot weather any day," Lara countered.

"So where is Bogomil? All we know is he's somewhere here in Moscow."

"Thankfully, this is the last time we'll have to play the guessing game of finding the lost brother," Lara said. "Let's check in with the boys." She tapped into her headset. "Zip, are you there?"

"Here, Lara," he replied. "We just got settled in with your boys in Frankfurt."

"Splendid," she said. "So does anyone there have any leads as to where Bogomil is?"

"No," Zip said morosely, "but we _did_ find something else quite interesting. Apparently, about two miles north of town, there's an abandoned Soviet base in the snow of the wasteland. Well, 'abandoned' being loosely used. The satellite feeds show activity there."

"Activity?" Lara asked. "As in…?"

"Inhabitants," he confirmed. "And they don't look friendly."

"And why is this relevant?"

"Because my Spider Senses are tingling," he said. "We all have a hunch that it could be the Cabal."

"And what gives you that idea?"

"Radiation radar feeds confirm a strange type of nuclear activity, associated with neural activity. Translation – the dagger."

"You think so?" she asked hopefully. "Then perhaps we should go there. It could be Kurtis's dagger."

"Our thoughts exactly," he said. "But be careful. Karel could be there. You know how he loves to surprise us."

"I'll keep it in mind," Lara said irritably, clicking offline. She repeated the information to Kurtis, and they headed forward to reach the snowmobiles. After exchanging several rubles with the man standing safely away from the snowstorm, he handed over the keys, and they trudged towards the snowmobiles to depart north.

They turned the lights on, and two vertical beams of illumination shot forward into the darkness. "Moscow sure is a dark city," Kurtis commented, warming up the engine.

Lara pulled her snow goggles over eyes, grinning. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

He grinned back at her, pulling his own goggles over his eyes. "If I can handle _you,_ I think I can handle anything."

Lara titled her head in agreement, revving the engine. "Fair enough," she agreed. She gave some gas to the engine, and then pulled forward into the plethora of snow. Snow, snow, snow. So much snow. It was even difficult for the snowmobiles to pull through the powder, but they were built for it, so neither Lara nor Kurtis had any doubts.

They continued to pull through the snow until the odometer read two miles exactly. Lara killed the engine, but kept the lights on. She stepped off the vehicle and into the powder, glancing around in confusion. "So apparently, this underground base is right under our feet," she said.

Kurtis killed the engine of his snowmobile, pushing the goggles up onto his head. "If it's underground, that makes the most sense," he said dryly.

Lara rolled her eyes, bending down to brush the snow around for any clues. The wind blew harshly past them, the cold nipping at her cheeks. Lara heard Kurtis shuffling behind her, then heard him mutter a curse. "So this must be the dead zone," he sighed. "I can't reach any of the guys."

"Typical," Lara sighed. "We'll figure it out ourselves."

"Or I could just use Farsee," Kurtis said simply.

Lara rose, facing him as she folded her arms over her chest. "You _are_ amazing," she said with a flirty grin.

"I've heard it before," he replied. Then, he reached his arms forward, sending his mind forward to search. It wasn't as easy as he would think – there was nothing but snow and darkness all around. He had to break through the ground to search past the simple terrain, which wasn't too simple. He felt pressure on his mind, but once he passed through the ground it was simple. He went through dirt, soil, weeds, grass – and then he felt even more pressure as he forced his way through a steel wall. Then, he was through – he saw military contraptions, guns, knives, mercenaries, and maps posted in Russian writing. _Bingo,_ he thought. He surfaced directly above where he'd entered, and realized it was just a few feet away from where they were parked. He returned to his body, jerking backwards with the force of the return.

"Did you find it?" Lara asked.

"Just ahead," he said, moving forward.

Lara started following after him. "How are we going to get in without being seen?"

"Relax," Kurtis urged. "Trust me. You need to learn to trust."

Lara was a bit annoyed with the comment, but overall, knew he was right. She drew in a deep breath. "Fine," she said. "Show me the way, master."

Kurtis chuckled a bit, then began kicking some of the snow around. Lara watched carefully, figuring she shouldn't interrupt. He continued kicking around until he heard a hollow sound echoing through steel. He stopped, staring down. Then, he stomped his foot, the echo coming through again. Then, he bent down, scooping the snow away with his gloved hand until he felt crevices around the edge of the steel. He stood up, stepping back to Lara's side with a cocky grin on his face. "It's an elevator shaft," he said.

"So how do we get into it?"

Kurtis stepped back, and reached his hand toward the steel contraption. His hand began to tremble concurrently with the steel elevator, and Lara realized he was lifting it from the ground with his telekinesis. The shaft rose from under the ground, and Kurtis drew his hand back. Lara grinned at him, approaching the shaft to dismantle the lock. They opened the metal-grated door and stepped inside. "Don't you think they'll know we're here?" Lara reminded him.

Kurtis pulled the door shut. "I thought I told you to relax…?"

Lara drew in a deep breath, stepping back. Kurtis pressed the red button to descend the elevator. Lara didn't want him to know it, but she was holding her breath. She was sure he already knew, being psychic and all. Lara's hand reached for the butt of her gun, preparing to remove them as soon as the elevator reached base. Then, without warning, the elevator jerked about. Lara staggered a bit, bending her legs to remain stable on the ground. Kurtis, however didn't budge. After a few more shaky moments, the elevator stopped moving. It was trapped in the middle of the shaft. "I don't suppose that was your doing?" Lara asked, regaining stability.

"Of course," Kurtis said, removing his Chirugai. He activated the Chirugai, letting it rise to the top of the shaft. Then, he urged it forward, sawing through the steel with the psychic force accompanied by the blades. He rotated the blades and increased the orange energy emitting from the disk. Then, the steel hole widened, a screeching noise echoing throughout the elevator. Once it was wide enough, he drew the Chirugai back into his grasp and clipped it onto his belt.

"Well done," Lara complimented.

They approached the hole, and Kurtis bent down to give her a boost up. Lara pulled herself through and crawled forward enough for Kurtis to pull up behind her. He gripped the edge, but the elevator began to shake. "Kurtis!" Lara cried, turning to grab his hand. Before she could reach him, though, the elevator descended. Her heart began to beat with panic. Had he done that, or had it collapsed on his own?

She wanted to go down and find him, but there was no way to get to him – or anywhere else – without moving forward. Reluctantly, she turned and headed deeper down the air shaft. She crawled forward endlessly until she reached a grating. She peered through and saw that she was just above the kitchen. There was a chef just below, holding a butcher's knife in one hand, and a menacing look on his face. Lara kicked the grate forward and then dropped down, landing on the counter. The chef startled, then began swinging his knife in Lara's direction. She dodged the swings, and then sent a forceful kick to his face, knocking him unconscious.

"Lara, what's going on?" a voice said via headset.

"Alister, is that you?" she asked hopefully.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" he asked. "We've been trying to reach you for ages."

"No reception in the dead zone," Lara said. "But I'm here now. I'm inside the base. Kurtis and I got separated."

"Ah, wonderful," Alister sighed. "Well, we'll be with you here on out. The dagger is at the end of the second level. You need to go up to the next floor."

"So the opposite side?" Lara asked.

"Yes," he said. "There's a stair case at the north end of the hallway."

"Is there a way you can hack into the monitors?"

"I'm working on it," Zip put in. "When I get in, though, you'll have nothing to worry about. It should take about five minutes."

Lara quietly opened the door, moving forward. There was no one down the hall, fortunately. Moving through the halls reminded Lara of the time she'd broken into the VCI Headquarters, and the time she'd managed to stowaway onto the Russian submarine. _Now all we need are some outrageous military suits,_ she thought, remembering Zip's idea of the "Hulk on steroids".

The stairwell was just ahead. Lara moved forward, trekking up the stairs as quietly as she could manage. _Now all I have to do is reach the other end of this hallway, _she thought.

"Alright, Lara, we're live," Zip said. "This floor is loaded with merks, so be careful."

"Try not to draw attention to yourself," Alister warned.

"You two surely know how to deprive me of my fun," she sighed.

"Sorry," Alister said. "Be careful. The dagger is under high security. You'll need an access card to enter, _and_ the ocular identification of one of the guards."

"That can be arranged," Lara said, removing her pistol. She moved down the hall carefully, watching carefully, and moving about as necessary to remain out of sight. She could see the door to the dagger at the end, the vertical electric doors accompanied by a small keypad beside it. Lara looked ahead as a mercenary came down the hall. She pulled herself out of sight around the corner and waited for the guard to come by. When she heard his footsteps nearing, she quickly backhanded him with her gun, just enough to stun him. Then, she aimed her gun at his head. "Move," she commanded. She ushered him towards the door, quickly swiping his access card from the hook on his belt. She pushed his head towards the ocular identification keypad, and the red laser ejected, scanning his eye. As soon as it was done, she backhanded him with the gun, sending him unconscious. Then, she slid the access card down the slot, waiting for the green light to give her leeway into the room.

The light changed colors, and the doors slid open. Lara entered the large room. The only things inside were the two triangular-shaped vertical columns in the room where the dagger floated. Lara slowly stepped forward, reaching towards the artifact. "Hold up!" Zip stopped her. "It's submerged in radioactive energy right now. Touching it could melt your hand off."

Lara retracted her hand. "So what do I do, then?"

"You either need someone with psychic powers to pull it out, or you need to shut off the device that's emitting the radioactive energy."

"Can you find Kurtis?" Lara asked.

"Yeah, we can –" Zip stopped. "Hold on, someone's coming. Get out of sight, Lara!"

"Where do you suggest I go?" she asked in panic.

"Hide in the shadows," Alister urged.

Lara quickly ducked into the shadows of the corner, crouching down as she heard the doors whoosh open. A man stepped inside, casually approaching the dagger. He wore an assault rifle slung over his back, and his head was covered by the hood attached to his clothing. _Who is this joker?_ Lara thought. He reached forward, taking the dagger into his hand.

"You said it can't be touched," Lara said to Zip.

"It can't," he said. "I don't know who this guy is."

Lara pulled her gun close to her side, then stepped out of the shadows, training her weapon on the man's head. "Stop where you are," she ordered. The man stopped moving, but remained facing away from her. She took cautious steps forward, not dropping her weapon. "Turn around," she ordered.

He took a soft step, preparing to turn around. Then, with lightning speed, he turned around, reaching a hand towards Lara and shooting a blast of telepathic energy her way. She flew backwards, hitting the wall with painful force. She slumped to the ground, her vision clouding with blackness. Lara heard footsteps approaching, and looked up just in time to see the man remove his rifle and hold the muzzle towards her throat.

"So who are you?" Lara asked humorously, despite her situation. "The Dark Knight?"

"Could be your worst enemy," he said, loading the weapon.

"Don't consider yourself so lucky," she said.

"And who are you?" he asked. "Not Cabal, evidently…"

"I'm Lara Croft," she said. "Is it safe to assume you're Lux Veritatis?"

He eyed her suspiciously, then pulled the weapon away from her. "What do you know about the Lux knights?"

Lara slowly rose to her feet, her head pounding. "Quite a lot, actually. I know where the seven brothers are. In fact, Montsegur was with me here, but we got separated once we managed to get inside here."

He strapped his rifle over his back again. "We need to find him. This is his dagger, and I have mine." He started forward, towards the door.

"Of course," Lara said. "And I didn't quite catch your name…?"

"Dan Bogomil," he said. "His father and my father were close friends. I don't suppose he'd remember me though…"

"You never know," Lara said, strapping her gun into her holster. They headed forward towards the door, but stopped once the power shut off. Lara reached for her gun, glancing around as the lights flickered off. Then, red hazard lights appeared in the corners of the room. "Red alert all over again," Lara sighed.

Dan removed the shotgun strapped around his back. "Someone's outside the door," he said quietly.

"Zip, what do you see?" she asked over the headset.

"It's Karel," he said. "But he's not the one who shut the power off…"

"Then who did?" Lara asked, removing her guns once again. Before Zip could respond, Lara heard static on the other end. _Always so convenient, _she thought. "It's Karel," she told Dan.

"Wonderful," he said. "I'd love to kill him." He removed both of the daggers as they surged with orange energy.

"You can't kill him," Lara said. "Not without the other six daggers, and the other seven brothers."

"We can always try," he said.

"It won't work, and you'll just get us caught in trouble. Leave it."

Suddenly, the doors blew open, and Karel stepped inside, his fists glowing with green energy. He glared at Lara as a subtle grin crossed his face. "You always come right into my web, Miss Croft."

"I would hate to have to make you do all the work," she retorted, although inside, she was screaming with fear.

"Very well," he said. "How about we make a deal?"

Lara kept her guns trained on him. "Not interested."

"The two of you hand over your daggers, and I'll let you go free."

"As noble of you as that is, I think I'll pass," Lara said.

"Very well," he said, "then I'll just kill the both of you."

Before Karel could fire any orbs of energy their way, Dan drew back the daggers and shot his own powerful surge of energy. Karel staggered backwards a bit, but nothing more. Lara turned to Dan. "Don't waste its power!" she ordered.

"If it'll hold him off, I'll use all of it!" Dan argued.

_This guy doesn't listen well,_ Lara thought irritably. She quickly dove to the side and then impaled herself against Dan, knocking him to the ground. The daggers flew out of his hand. _Not quite the way I'd hoped, _Lara thought. She moved to stand, but Dan forced her to the ground angrily and lurched forward for the daggers. Karel casually made his way inside the building, and then shot a bolt of energy in Dan's direction, sending him flying backwards.

The daggers were still on the floor. Lara pushed off of the ground and bolted forward, sliding along the ground to get a hold of the weapons. Unfortunately, she was on the ground, and was completely vulnerable. Karel stood above her, forming a bolt of energy between his hands. Lara shielded her face – _like that will do anything _– and waited for the attack. Nothing came. When she opened her eyes, she saw Karel flying forward thanks to the force of a telepathic surge of energy. She looked up to see Kurtis standing in the doorway, bleeding from his head. Something had happened to him, but despite it, Lara was thankful he was there. She quickly rose to her feet, picking up the daggers and tossing them in his direction. He swiftly caught them and pocketed them, removing his Chirugai and drawing back in a fighter's stance.

_Now to get out of here,_ Lara thought. She quickly rushed to Dan's side as Kurtis held Karel off. Lara shook him back to consciousness, but he quickly pushed her away, anger flaring in his eyes. He rose to his feet and slowly approached Karel. "We don't have time for this!" Lara shouted, afraid to remain stationary, but refusing to leave Dan behind.

There was no reasoning with him. He began to attack Karel with his own telepathic blows. Lara sighed in frustration, running towards Kurtis. "What's he doing?" Kurtis asked.  
"He won't leave," Lara said. "We need to get out of here."

"What about that guy?"

"No time, Kurtis," Lara said. With that, they turned away, running down the hallway. Lara never left anyone behind, but there was no reasoning with this man. They bolted down the hallway, taking potshots at any mercenary that happened to be in the way. They could see the elevator shaft just ahead. Kurtis stopped, and when Lara noticed this, she stopped as well.

"Get the elevator ready," Kurtis said. "I'm going back to get the other guy."

She grabbed his arm as he turned away. "Kurtis, no! It's pointless!"

"Trust me," he urged. He shook her grip free and quickly handed off the daggers. Then, he headed back down the hallway. Lara turned away, reaching the elevator and loading fresh clips into her guns. She kept a wary eye out for signs of any mercenaries, and prayed a silent prayer that Kurtis and Dan would return safely.

"Lara, what's going on?" Zip asked.

"I'm waiting for Kurtis and Dan to come back," she said. "I have the daggers, though."

"Thank Heavens," Alister said.

Lara breathed silently, counting in her head. _1…2…3…_and then she saw Kurtis coming forward, Dan's arm slung over his shoulder. Lara quickly rushed to his aid, helping him carry the wounded warrior down the hallway and into the elevator. She closed the grate shut, waiting for Kurtis to lift the elevator from the floor. Then, in the distance, she saw Karel stepping forward casually, coming towards the elevator. "Hurry, Kurtis," she urged nervously. "He's coming…"

Kurtis focused on the task of lifting the elevator as best as he could. When he saw Karel, though, he dropped the elevator, and Lara fought to maintain her footing. "Come on, Kurtis, focus!" she urged, fear edging into her voice. Kurtis turned to lift the elevator again, and Lara drew her guns to aim towards Karel. Not that it made a difference – Lara hoped it would make Kurtis feel more confident, knowing that she was keeping her eyes on the enemy. Unfortunately, she didn't feel so confident in herself. Her hands shook as she held the guns, Karel inching closer with each second.

Finally, the elevator lifted off the ground, and Kurtis raised it back to the snow. Lara breathed relief, quickly holstering her weapons. She helped Kurtis bring Dan to a standing position, dragging him out of the elevator. Lara heard a helicopter flying in low, and she immediately panicked. She trained her weapons on the pilot, who quickly waved a white fabric. "Zip said you could use some help!" he shouted.

Lara lowered the weapons. "Thank you," she returned.

Another man dropped a letter down and descended to help Lara lift Dan into the chopper. Kurtis quickly turned to face the elevator, reaching his hand out and clenching it into a fist. The elevator capsized and crushed, sparks flying about. "That should hold him off for a bit," he said, although Lara could hear the anxiety in his voice.

She quickly climbed up the rope, Kurtis following. They sat back in their seats, sighing, and glancing out the windows, the fear of green orbs arising with each second.

* * *

**I kind of find Bogomil amusing, he thinks he's so badass but he's really not. Haha.**

**_inmate1099_ - Ohhhhh now I get it. It makes sense now!! You never played any of the TR games?! Wait...then how do you know about Kurty-Wurty? Anyway, the Sanitarium is a level in AOD, and it's pretty much just a psych ward where psychos go. So that's what that is. But I'm telling you man...if you liked the movies and haven't played the games, you're missing out! The games are a million times better than the movies XD A MILLION!!**

**_bettie91_ - OMG...I could not stop LAUGHING when I read your review! How right you are! They need to freaking start protecting themselves, man!! And personally, I don't think Kurtis nor Lara would've found it weird making love in such a physical condition - they can't control themselves, so I guess it's irrelevant to them, I mean it might've been a bit painful........anyways!! XD *singsong voice* The things we do for loooove...Let's just pretend L&K have gotten extremely lucky the past several times they've been...intimate. Haha. XD**

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! Will update again on Thursday, June 4th! See you then!!  
**


	13. Irritable Revelation

**Okay, here we are at Chapter...13? Yes, 13. It's a semi-short chapter, mostly just dialogue, but you will learn a lot more about Lemuria and all that jazz, so read on!!**

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**It was just after midnight, and Garin looked out the window of Willard's Frankfurt home just in time to see a chopper approaching. He holstered a gun – just to be safe – and went outside, Kyran surprisingly following. "Don't tell me you're going to act as my guardian now…?" Garin said.

"Please," Kyran begged. "If any of us die, the cause is lost. It's just insurance."

"Whatever you say," Garin muttered. They stepped outside into the cool Frankfurt air, shielding their eyes from the circulating air as the chopper descended. Lara was the first one out, followed by Kurtis, and followed by an unknown man, moving slowly with exhaust.

Lara waved goodbye to the pilot as he ascended, then disappeared into the night. She turned towards Garin. "Someone got a bit cocky with his powers," she said, folding her arms over her chest.

"So you must be the Bogomil brother…?" Garin asked, facing him.

He clutched his head. "And you are?"

"Garin Limoux," he said. "And this is Kyran Vasiley."

"So it didn't go well with Karel, I'd assume?" Kyran asked, a subtle smile of humor crossing his lips.

"Don't start," Lara said, pushing past him. Kurtis and Dan followed, Kyran chuckling behind them as he and Garin followed them inside. Lara yawned as she stepped inside, making note that everyone had already retired to bed. She quietly trudged up the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. Lara shut the door, but a hand held it open. She startled until she realized it was Kurtis, grinning down at her with that weak-in-the-knees smile. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I'm too scared to sleep alone," he said. Lara grinned, opening the door for him to step inside. He closed it behind him, removing his shirt as he stepped inside. Lara kicked off her boots and lay down in the bed immediately, soreness overtaking her body again. She turned over on her side, facing the window, and closing her eyes. Sleep had never sounded so good…

She heard Kurtis climbing into the bed on the opposite side, then felt his warm hands slide over her bare arms, dropping kisses on her shoulders as his hand reached for hers, interlacing his fingers with her own. A smile crossed Lara's lips, and she sighed in relaxation inwardly. "How I've missed your touch," Lara said quietly.

"You didn't have to…" he said. He wasn't trying to guilt-trip her for the decision she'd made – he was merely pointing out the obvious. He heard Lara sigh quietly, and she rolled over on her back, turning her head to face Kurtis as he lay on his side, propped up by the strength of his arm. Their eyes met, and Kurtis could see that hers were swamped with atonement. "I don't know what I was thinking…" she said. "I thought it would make things better, but it just grew harder day by day."

"You don't have to explain," he said. "We've both made mistakes."

"I shouldn't have thrown you out," Lara continued. "I should've realized that…" She drew in a deep breath. "That everything between us is real. I never thought I'd feel this way about anyone – ever."

Kurtis was in shock to some extent. He'd never expected Lara to admit such a confession, yet here she was, staring into his eyes with every ounce of truth reflecting from them. He drew in a silent breath, keeping eye contact with her. "We're together now," he said. "That's all that matters."

"But…" Lara scraped at the edge of the blanket, trying to occupy herself as the curious question arose. "Where do we go from here?" She slowly looked up into his eyes, which were swamped with confusion. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry…" she said quickly.

"It's okay…" he said softly. "I just don't have an answer for you."

"I shouldn't have expected one," she said quickly. "I'm sorry." She looked down, then made eye contact with him. He reached his hand forward, stroking her face.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Lara," he said. "I know that's what you think."

She shook her head slowly. "Not anymore," she said. "I think it's time I step out of my comfort zone, don't you agree?"

Kurtis grinned, then leaned forward over her, kissing her full on the mouth. "I couldn't agree more," he said. They continued to make love into the night, and then, when they'd exhausted themselves, they fell asleep in each other's arms, knowing the next day would bring more challenges.

* * *

Lara descended the stairs the next morning, her long wet braid slapping her back with each step she took. She found the brothers already awake yet again, the morning news channel on, and breakfast served on the counter. Lara scooped up a piece of toast and poured a cup of tea, grinning at Davis as he dished some eggs onto another plate. "You're a domestic housewife…?" she asked.

He chuckled. "I was raised by women," he said.

Lara grinned, taking a bite of her toast. Zeth wiped his hands off, swallowing his last bite of toast, then stepped forward. "Alright, everyone. You'll be glad to hear what Alister and I found."

"Ah, glad to hear you two got along," Lara said.

"Of course," Alister chipped in.

"Anyway," Zeth continued, "we found the location of the portal."

"Anyone ever heard of the lost island of Lemuria?" Alister asked. No one responded, as he expected. "Well, it was an island believed to have been lost, located east of Africa. We found that the portal is actually located in Madagascar, in the same general region where Lemuria was believed to have been lost several hundred years ago. Ironically enough, the lost island and the portal to Lemuria have nothing to do with each other."

"We need to reach Lemuria – _safely _– and then activate all of the daggers' auras together to generate enough energy to activate the portal. When the portal is active, we can go in," Zeth explained.

"Smashing," Lara said. "And where do we go from there?"

"Well, _we_ go into Lemuria," Zeth said. "_You_ have to stay outside."

"I _what_?" Lara asked, taken aback.

"Lara, you're not psychic," Alister said.

"Your mind wouldn't be able to withstand the celestial energy inside Lemuria," Zeth added. "By default, we brothers have psychic minds strong enough to endure the energy. Besides that, it's not even physically possible for you to enter through the portal."

"And even if you somehow managed to get through," Alister continued, "you'd likely immediately…well, die."

"So what do you expect me to do then?" Lara asked, growing irritated. "I can't just sit around while everyone else is in Lemuria."

"You'll be guarding the portal from the outside," Garin put in. "It's likely that Karel will come through and try to get in, if he doesn't beat us there."

"And how do you expect her to hold him off?" Kurtis spoke up. "Karel will kill her in an instant."

"Funny you should ask…" Zeth said, reaching into his duffel. He retrieved a small, spherical artifact, glowing with bronze energy. "This is an ancient Lux Veritatis artifact. My father gave it to me when I was just a boy, but only recently did I find out its significance. It has a substantial amount of negative energy, and that means that we can transmit psychic energy into it to create a weapon for Lara to use."

"I'm not psychic, so how am I supposed to use it?" Lara asked.

"You don't have to be psychic," Zeth said. "You use your mind to usher the energy forward."

"Wish fulfillment, basically," Alister added. "Just think it, and it will happen."

Zeth handed the weighty stone to Lara, who examined it carefully. "Interesting," she commented, setting the stone on the table.

"We just need you to hold Karel off long enough for us to reach the Sword of Light," Zeth said nervously.

"The what?" Kurtis asked.

"Ah, right," Alister spoke up. "Inside the Templus Veritas, legend holds that there is a sword that a Lux Knight can wield and use to destroy any immortal enemy. It's the only true way to defeat Karel."

"Sounds simple enough…" Kyran speculated.

"I guess we'll find that out when we get there," Garin said.

"So let's get packing then," Lara said, annoyance edged into her voice. She trudged past the group and up the stairs to her room to pack her things. _I can't believe they expect me to just sit back and let them take on Karel,_ she thought irritably. She roughly threw her clothing into her suitcase, and recklessly disassembled her shotgun to cram inside with the rest of her items.

She heard a knock at her door, and turned to face Kurtis as he slowly entered. "Hey," he said calmly.

"Hello," she returned. She turned back to her suitcase, sealing it shut as she filled it to the brim.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I'm fan-bloody-tastic," she muttered.

"Look, Lara," he sighed, seating himself on the edge of the bed. "It might not be so bad, not going into Lemuria…"

"A matter of opinion," she retorted. "Kurtis, you _know_ I can't just sit back while the rest of you go inside and…well, take care of business. This was supposed to be _my_ job just as much as it is the rest of yours."

"I know," he sympathized with her. "But there isn't anything we can do."

"Unfortunately," Lara said. She tugged the zipper shut on her suitcase – until she pulled it off and it ripped completely apart. She sighed in frustration, leaning over the bag, and closing her eyes. "It's Karel," she said quietly. "He's…I just don't know if you guys will be able to properly handle him."

"What?"

She faced him. "_I_ was the one who killed him – well, _thought_ I'd killed him. I just feel like there's more I could do, like somehow on a deeper level, this is all my doing."

"You can't possibly blame yourself for Karel still being alive," Kurtis said, rising.

"No?" she asked. "Then why is it that he's still here? If I would've properly handled it, we wouldn't be in this predicament."

"We're taking care of it, Lara," he said. "Stop putting so much pressure on yourself."

"Pressure?" she asked irritably. "If pressure is saving the entire human species, then I strongly beg to differ. Karel is not to be taken lightly, and you of all people should know that."

"Don't you think you're overreacting a bit too much about this?"

`"Hardly," she argued. She lifted the suitcase from the dresser and turned to leave, but Kurtis stood in her way.

"I know you're afraid," he said flatly. "But for once, you've _got_ to just trust me."

She searched his eyes. "Afraid? Of what?"

"Of whatever is going to happen beyond that portal that you won't have any control over, or even the slightest knowledge of," he said.

Lara tried to hold her gaze with him, to challenge him and convince him that he was totally wrong. The problem was that he was totally right. She'd never met another person who could read her like an open book in the way he could. She sighed, closing her eyes. "I've already lost you twice," she said. "I can't do it again. If I could just _know_ what is going on beyond that portal while it happens…"

"The fact is that you can't," he interrupted. "You're just going to have to have faith that everything will be alright."

Lara knew he was right. She dropped the suitcase at her feet and pulled herself into Kurtis's arms, closing her eyes. She breathed in his scent as his warm hands trailed her back. He drew in a deep breath, his chest slowly heaving forward, and his heartbeat increasing. Lara could feel it again. The beat of his heart was in unison with hers. _Somewhere, perhaps we were already destined for each other,_ she thought, relaxed. Although it was a corny line out of a sappy romance movie, she believed it in her heart.

Lara clung to him, knowing that once he stepped through that portal in Madagascar, she would virtually be closed off to everything, and would be left alone outside, wondering what the hell was going on.

* * *

**Most unfortunate for Lara, there. Poor ol' gal. She just wants to be in control of EVERYTHING!! XD**

**_inmate1099_** - **Ooohhh okay, now it REALLY makes sense. Alright I get it all now XD**

**_trfanfrombeg_ - Yeah, it was about those stupid little chocolate bars you find in all the levels! *drums play - dun dun dun!, I look around the room with a stupid smile on my face* No? Nothing? Not even a titter? Psh, tough crowd. Yes, that idiot Bogomil thinks he is a superhero. Haha, I can't stop laughing right now about that though, the village idiot!! And good question, I left that area a bit shady, didn't I? Let's just assume (again, since I'm a failure at plastering the cracks) that Karel really had his dagger and not Bogomil. And it was all a big coincidence that they ended up in the same place. And yes, doesn't that sound like a Zip comment? He's such an idiot XD**

**So since it was so short, I suppose I'll update Saturday or Sunday. Either day, depends on my 'hectic' sshhedule, ya know what I'm sayin? XD Peace out.  
**


	14. Nostalgia

**Very short chapter here, so you guys should feel happy...because that means I'm going to update TOMORROW! Lucky you!! =D Anyways, well, read on!! And kudos to anyone who might have an idea where I referenced a particular line in here from FFX-2 =D  
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**The group arrived later that afternoon in the province of Toamasina, on the eastern coast of Madagascar. The sun was beginning to set, and the weather was cooling off just the slightest bit. _This place is beautiful,_ Lara thought, taking in the sights that reminded her both of Ghana and the Bahamas. Lara turned to Zeth. "So where is this portal?"

He removed a small, folded paper from his pocket, apparently having jotted down a few quick notes the day before. "It was said to have been located at the eastern end of the peninsula," he said. "Apparently, there are some ruins down there – an almost-temple-like structure, if you will – where we must enter and activate the daggers."

"Splendid," Lara said. "Well, let's get moving." The group of nine trudged forward, moving through the humid jungles of the civilization and out towards the end of the peninsula where nothing but exotic animals inhabited the land. They moved forward until they saw a small temple in the distance – it couldn't have been much bigger than a studio apartment. Lara entered first, figuring she might as well get her action where she could. They made their way through the temple's winding hallway until they reached the end – which was nothing but an extremely large empty room, with a musty, algae smell. The room must've been led underground, because the path had descended meters ago, and it would've been too conspicuous otherwise.

"Is this it?" Lara asked, facing Zeth.

"If my research is correct, then yes," he confirmed. He drew in a deep breath. "So shall we open this portal, or what?"

Each of the brothers carefully removed his jade dagger. Seeing all eight of the daggers reunited was enough to amaze Lara. Eight jade daggers, with Lux Veritatis glyphs, held in the hands of the Lux Veritatis warriors themselves. All this time, Kurtis had thought he was alone. He'd thought that his family had been completely murdered, and that he was the last of the Lux knights. He couldn't have been more wrong. Here he stood, with others just like him, his last remaining family. Lara felt a tinge of happiness creeping into her heart, elated by the idea that Kurtis was standing here with his remaining family, or the like.

Lara stepped back as the brothers formed a circle around the center of the room. Then, each levitated his blade before him, continuing with the circular motions. One by one, the auras of the blades activated, until the room was illuminated with a bright orange glow. Lara shielded her eyes, taking another step back, and watching as they ushered their daggers forward into the empty space centered between each of them. The auras met, until the bright light capsized, then protruded through the room. When everyone looked up, the daggers were united into one, hovering in the air, and a mystical, orange portal floated before them.

"This is amazing," Aiden breathed. Then, the portal emitted eight streams of light towards the walls. The lights turned into small, circular-shaped windows of space, and everyone watched in amazement to see what would happen. After a moment, the light formed into portraits, and Lara could feel the energy leave each of the warriors as they stared in shock at the faces of the past warriors lying before them in the empty space emitted by the light.

"What _is_ this?" Kyran asked, walking towards one of the portraits. He reached his hand through the seemingly holographic image. Then, he stepped backwards, shock overtaking him. "I-It's my father," he stammered. "It's an image of my father."

Garin approached one of the portraits as well, the image of his own father coming into play. A subtle smile of contentment crossed his lips, and he reached his hand towards the portrait. "What do you know…?" he breathed.

Each of the warriors moved forward towards the empty windows of space – all but Kurtis. Lara slowly approached his side, placing a gently hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly.

He clenched his hand into a fist. "I'm fine," he said lowly.

_Don't you want to see your father's face?_ Lara wanted to ask. She knew better, though. Perhaps, after going to Salt Lake City as well, this was just too much for him. The one window of light remained hollow, and no image appeared without Kurtis's presence close by. Lara glanced over each of the brothers, who appeared to be having private moments of reverie with the images of their departed fathers. Lara knew that since this was now no longer about her, she needed to be there for the ones who were suffering at the emotional cripple.

Aiden pulled away from the window, the light disappearing as he stepped back. He quickly wiped his eyes with the edge of his sleeve, then looked down. Lara felt sorry for the child. He was just seventeen years old, and he'd lived the past four years without any family. He'd been stuck in a group home in Germany, a country as foreign to him as anything else. Seeing the face of his father had to be overwhelming enough for him.

Finally, all of the brothers drew back, and the windows of light disappeared. Lara could sense that each had been profoundly impacted by the image of his father. Garin drew in a deep breath, assuming the role as the leader once more. He turned towards the group. "We need to go in," he said. "Do you have the stone, Lara?" She removed the stone that Zeth had given her and held it up for him to see. Then, she returned it to her backpack. Garin nodded, then faced the portal, slowly approaching it. He reached a hand forward, extending it so that his entire forearm was on the opposite side of the portal. Then, he pulled it back, examining his hand. Nothing had changed. He drew in another deep breath and faced the group, grinning. "See you on the other side," he remarked. Then, he stepped through.

Aiden stepped forward, the fear in his eyes gone, and a new look of duty resting in them. He closed his eyes and stepped through the portal, disappearing. Davis followed next, then Willard, then Dan, and then Zeth. Kyran turned towards Lara. "Take care of things topside," he said. Lara nodded, appreciating that for once, he wasn't making an unnecessary sarcastic comment. Then, he stepped through the portal. Kurtis was the last to enter. He solemnly faced Lara, his eyes swamped with duty, yet shadowed with a tinge of fear.

"Take care of yourself in there," Lara said quietly. "You know how Karel can be."

"Yeah," was all he could manage to say. They remained standing where they were for a moment, both plagued by the inevitable fear of loss, although neither had any real way of proving it would happen. Then, they reached forward, and Kurtis pulled Lara into his arms once again, holding her as close to him as he could bring her. He closed his eyes, acutely aware of every curve of her body, the silk of her skin, the smell of her hair, the warmth of her touch. If he was going to be up against Karel, he would need everything he could to keep him going – having Lara in his arms was enough to do that.

Lara pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes, her own glossing over with soft tears. "I love you," she said firmly. "Give me something to reach for." In other words, she meant, 'don't get yourself killed in there'.

Kurtis knew exactly what she meant. "I'm not going to leave you," he promised. "I love you, so much." He pulled her mouth towards his, propelled by desire and fear, savoring her kiss as if it would be the last time. He pulled away, touching his forehead to hers, and then released her, ever so reluctantly. He faced the portal, refusing to look back at Lara – it would only make him weaker. Instead, he took several weighty steps towards the mystical door to another world, and reached forward, stepping through until he was no longer in Lara's sight.

* * *

**Love-struck teenagers is what they are. *sigh* Poor kids. **

**I want to address my idea of Lemuria. Trfanfrombeg asks if it's like the Astral Plane from X-Men, and I suppose it IS something of the sort, but the inspiration I drew it from was the Farplane from Final Fantasy X and X-2. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just google 'farplane' real quick and check out the images...you'll get a feel of what's going on in my mind. You'll get more of a feel of Lemuria in the next chapter, though. The main thing you need to know is that Lemuria is a huge trip, and not necessarily a good one. As you've already witnessed, they will be encountering a lot of their pasts in relation to this...place...**

**Stay tuned guys! Like I said, update tomorrow, so I'll see you then! I appreciate the reviews!!  
**


	15. Winds of Lemuria

**So, that was a bit of a tear-jerker, eh? That last scene? Haha, sorry. I just can't help myself. Well, this one is again semi-short, but we're pulling close to the end of this story, and then it's on to the...Threequel? The third installation, whatever. I am LOVIN IT!!Anyway, here you'll understand more about Lemuria, and let's check up on Karel, too...  
**

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**Garin was sure he was on an acid trip. The way this place looked, it could be no different. Swirling colors passed by him as he walked forward on the…ground? Was that even what he was walking on? His path was lit by small white lights, like little fireflies forming a solid ground beneath his feet. Stars – were they even stars? – floated above him as he and the other seven brothers moved forward. Wherever he set foot, the lighted path would appear. This was the strangest place he had ever been. _No wonder Zeth said literal minds couldn't handle this place,_ he thought. _I can barely handle it._

"This is a total trip," Aiden spoke up, glancing around in as much fear as awe.

"Yeah," Kyran agreed slowly. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"How many other mystical portals can there be?" Zeth said rhetorically.

They knew he had a point. It was all just too strange. They continued forward, feeling as though they were walking on a treadmill. Nothing seemed to move, and even worse, what had happened to the portal they'd stepped through? Behind them, there was nothing. There was door, no light, nothing. Nothing to indicate that they'd ever even stepped through the portal.

Suddenly, they heard a voice. They stopped in their paths, and braced themselves, expecting Karel to emerge. Then, they realized it was the laughter of a child. They glanced at each other strangely, keeping their guard up. The swirling colors following them morphed into the mobile filmstrip of a young boy playing on a swing set. "Push me faster, Daddy!" he shouted with laughter.

"Alright, buddy, calm down," the dad responded with a chuckle.

"What is this?" Zeth asked carefully.

"Make it stop," Aiden muttered. They glanced his way, where he stood, covering his head and squeezing his eyes shut. "Just turn it off. Make it stop!"

Garin glanced back at the filmstrip of the child playing on the swing. "Is it you?" he asked.

Aiden groaned, likely in as much physical pain as emotional pain. He crumpled to his knees, clenching his hands over his head. Garin reached forward, his hand going right through the filmstrip. The images weren't disappearing. He glanced quickly back at Aiden, who appeared to be losing his grasp on his psychic capacity. "Someone help him," he said quickly as he walked towards the film strip.

Zeth quickly approached Aiden's side, gripping his shoulders. "Come on, kid," he urged. "You've got to keep it together. It'll be over soon enough."

"I…can't…" he muttered through clenched teeth. "It hurts…"

Kurtis glanced up quickly from where he stood, clenching his fists at his side. Garin glanced his way, then turned back toward the filmstrip. He pushed his hand forward, sending a blow of telepathic energy in the direction of the images. They vanished immediately. He glanced down at Aiden, who opened his eyes and slowly released his head. He sat up carefully, looking around.

"What in the hell was that?" Kyran asked, sounding fearful for the first time ever.

Kurtis drew in a deep breath. "It's Karel," he said angrily.

"What do you mean?" Zeth asked.

"He's here, and he knows we're here," he said. "He's trying to use our families as weaknesses against us. We need to keep it together. If we let our minds wander too far from the present, he's going to win."

"Stay focused, everyone," Garin said, helping Aiden to his feet. "The last thing we want is for that bastard to win."

"We need to get moving," Kyran said.

"But where to?" Zeth asked. "Obviously we haven't really gone anywhere…"

Suddenly, another filmstrip appeared. Mathias Vasiley's image showed up in the space of the colors. Alongside of him was Eckhardt, standing with the menacing glove over his hand. "You've managed to walk right into my trap," he said. "Not only did you practically hand me the painting, you've also managed to hand yourself to me. One less job for me to take care of."

"No…" Kyran breathed, watching as Eckhardt raised his glove. "Stop!" he shouted.

In the next instant, the death of Mathias Vasiley was replayed. Kyran staggered backwards, covering his eyes. He nearly fell down into the negative space below them – who knew what would've happened then? Garin quickly reached out and caught his arm, pulling him back to his feet. "Stay on your feet," he warned.

Kyran glared angrily at him and shoved past him, sending a strong wave of telepathic energy towards the filmstrip, instantly ridding it. He clenched his fists at his side, anger flaring throughout his entire being.

"We need to get out of here and find Karel quickly," Kurtis said, pushing past the brothers and moving forward. "He's just going to keep doing this until he kills us off." The rest of the group knew he was right, and they moved forward, following after Kurtis. Suddenly, the colors around them began to form into multiple filmstrips, playing scenes throughout the lives of each of the warriors. They stopped in their paths, emotionally crippled and unable to move forward.

Kurtis glanced about frantically. _We have to keep moving,_ his mind demanded. When he looked up, though, he saw the image of his mother. She was beautiful – she looked young, likely only in her mid-twenties, when he was just a tot. "Look what I can do, Mom!" he shouted into the camera. Four-year-old Kurtis threw the basketball up in the air, sending it swishing through the net. He heard his mother laugh. "Good job, honey!" she applauded.

This had to end. In an act of rage and desperation, Kurtis removed his Chirugai and sent it flying forward, cutting through the filmstrip. In an instant, the remaining filmstrips stopped. The seven warriors looked up at Kurtis and at his spinning weapon. Then, Garin stood, awe overtaking his face. "You've done it," he said. He pointed forward. "The Chirugai lights the path."

Kurtis turned to look where he was pointing, and saw that the light from the Chirugai was illuminating what appeared to be a hallway. _Finally, a way out of this hell-hole, _he thought. He clenched his fists and moved forward, letting the Chirugai lead the way.

The path was no longer lit by the small white lights. Now, they could clearly see ground beneath their feet. The walls also began to form, and no more filmstrips of past events in their earlier lives threatened them. Each remained in silence, however. Karel was a sadist, and he enjoyed every minute of torture that he relented upon them.

Up ahead, they could see light – not the swirling colors, and not the light that formed the path beneath their feet, causing them to go nowhere. "Is that the temple?" Aiden asked carefully.

"I guess we'll have to find out, won't we?" Kyran retorted, moving forward. Kurtis could feel that something wasn't quite right about this. Perhaps it was the temple, but where was Karel? Knowing him, he would likely appear at the most convenient time, striking them all dead at once. And Kyran, being as overambitious as he was, would likely be the first to walk into Karel's trap. "Kyran, wait," Kurtis urged.

"Forget it," Kyran argued. "I just want to find this damn sword thing and get rid of Karel as soon as possible."

Kurtis could feel it, and when Kyran stopped moving forward, he could tell that the other brothers could feel it too. Yes, Karel was close. Kurtis sent the Chirugai forward, flying past Kyran and into the distance. Immediately, it was struck down with a bolt of green energy. Kurtis staggered backwards, taking on the attack against the Chirugai. He quickly summoned it back into his grasp, clutching his head in pain.

Karel was waiting just ahead. Kurtis did what he knew Lara would do – he fought with his words. He held his Chirugai low to his side and took three slow steps forward. "Is that you, Karel?" he asked dumbly.

"Unless you know of anyone else who can step into mystical portals," Karel called, seemingly around a corner.

"Why not fight like a man instead of picking us off one-by-one?" he challenged.

"Why not come out of your hiding place and face me like a man?" Karel retorted.

Kurtis sighed. "Fair enough."Without a backward glance, he moved forward, propelled by revenge, and the desire to finish this so he could return to the woman he loved, who waited just outside the portal. Kurtis rounded the corner until he emerged, the Temple of Light before his eyes. Karel stood facing the temple, his arms over his chest. Then, he slowly faced Kurtis, dropping his hands. An evil grin crept over his face. "Ah, the Lux Veritatis knight," Karel greeted him. "You've managed to stay in pursuit of me for over two years now."

Kurtis gripped the Chirugai in his hand. "Is that a compliment?"

"I suppose," Karel remarked. "You mortals don't last long against me."

"We're not all invincible," Kurtis reminded him.

"No need for reminders," he replied. "I could never forget such a thing, especially after the way I've killed many other mortals in my time – specifically speaking, Lux Veritatis warriors." Kurtis clenched his fist, and he was tempted to jump at Karel's throat and attack him. _No,_ he told himself. _Don't do it. That's what he wants. _He glared at Karel as his grin grew wider. "So where is Miss Croft?" he asked.

"Just around the hall," Kurtis remarked. "Why don't you go see for yourself?"

Karel chuckled in amusement. "So I see you've picked up her habits of making witty remarks and sarcastic quips."

"Yeah, either that or I was hoping you'd move out of the way so I could get into the temple."

"I'm sorry," Karel replied. "That won't be happening."

"Then I'll make it happen," Kurtis said lowly.

"You and what army?" Karel asked, folding his arms over his chest. On that note, the other seven brothers rounded the corner, standing by Kurtis's side, glaring at Karel with a lust for revenge, and the pang of heartache. Karel merely chuckled. "This is too funny," he said. "I don't suppose this makes you think that you're any more likely to kill me?"

"You've done enough damage, Karel," Garin said, stepping forward to Kurtis's side. "I think it's time you met your final resting place."

"Stupid mortal," he hissed. "I cannot die, no matter what you do."

"We can put that to the test," Kyran challenged, anger rising in his eyes.

"Very well," Karel sighed. "I'll just have to kill the rest of you as I did your families."

Karel immediately shot a bolt of green energy their way. Kurtis dodged it quickly, and then armed his Chirugai, preparing for the battle of a lifetime.

* * *

**  
I feel like I'm getting ready to watch an MMA Boxing match here, thanks to the epicness of the ending scene. Eh, what can ya do. And WHAT?! NONE of you have played Final Fantasy?! Noooo!!!**

**_trfanfrombeg_ - Psh. You're good at this. How did you know that?! XD Yeah, the Farplane actually is pretty trippy and...pretty. And cool. It's a lot more interesting in FFX-2 than FFX, I think. All the pretty swirling colors and what not...**

**Okay, guys. I'll see you at Chapter 16 on Wednesday-ish. Take care until then!!  
**


	16. The Sword of Light

**Let's just jump RIGHT into the fight scenes...the ultimate showdown!! The Lux Veritatis vs. Karel. What will happen?! Dun dun dun...**

**

* * *

  
**Kurtis threw the Chirugai forward, cutting Karel's throat just enough to stun him for a moment. He quickly shook the cut off, and his skin healed in an instant. Kurtis summoned the Chirugai into his grasp. "Any ideas?" he shouted to Garin.

"Working on it!" Garin returned.

Willard removed two automatic rifles and took one in each hand, emptying the clips into Karel's body. _He's got to know that doesn't work…_Kurtis thought. Regardless, it worked as a perfect distraction. Kyran drew back his fist and sent a powerful surge of telepathic energy Karel's way, knocking him backwards. Garin quickly approached Kurtis's side. "You need to reach the temple," he told him. "We'll hold him off over here."

"That's going to be a bit of a problem," Kurtis said. "I can't get past him without him killing me."

"We'll fix it for you!" Garin said. He jumped out of the way as Karel sent a bolt of green energy in the direction. Garin clapped his hands together, then pulled them apart, a large orb of orange energy forming between them. Then, he sent it forward, impaling Karel. Karel staggered backwards once again, but quickly regained footing. _This is just wasting time and energy, _Kurtis thought. He looked up, trying to figure out if there was a way he could move around to get into the temple while Karel remained distracted with the brothers. He would just have to make a run for it at some point.

Karel reached out his hands, and then pulled them down. A surge of green energy seemed to come from the sky, and it impaled directly on Dan, sending him flying backwards into the wall. Karel was getting angry, and they could all feel it. Karel turned his attention to Kurtis, and Kurtis drew back, ready for a fight. Karel lifted his arm, preparing to strike him down, but then stopped, drawing back and groaning in pain. He clutched his head, collapsing to his knees.

Kurtis exchanged glances with Garin, who shrugged. They moved to attack Karel in his moment of weakness, but then began to feel pain surging through their own minds and bodies. They clutched at the invisible pain, and fought to stand upright.

"What _is_ that?" Kyran shouted, holding his head in pain.

"It's some kind of…" Garin struggled to speak. "Some kind of high-frequency sound wave! It's not coming from in here!"

Then, the thought fell upon Kurtis. _Lara,_ he thought. She must've been doing something on the outside. As soon as the thought fell into Kurtis's mind, he knew he'd done wrong. Karel glared evilly in his direction. Then, he rose to his feet, screaming in agony. He outstretched his arms, and then vanished.

"Where'd he go?" Aiden asked, holding his head.

"Back to reality," Kurtis replied. "He's going after Lara."

"Now's your chance, Kurtis!" Garin said. "Get in the temple! We'll hold him off when he returns!"

Despite the sharp pain running through his entire body and his mind, Kurtis staggered to his feet and bolted towards the entrance of the Temple of Light. He needed to reach the sword quickly. Hopefully by the time he got to it, Karel would realize what was going on, and would return to Lemuria so Kurtis could finish him off. Above all, he prayed that Lara would be safe.

* * *

Lara paced outside the portal, glancing up as the building became pitch black. She could feel that the sun had set, and that night had already fallen in Toamasina. The boys had been in Lemuria for a full hour now. What was taking them so long? She felt so worthless outside, just waiting for something to happen.

Lara drew in a deep breath, and then approached the portal, extending her hand towards it. _This is crazy, _she scolded herself. She slowly moved her hand forward. As soon as her fingertip touched the mystical device, her fingers began to burn. She immediately drew them back, examining the swelling, and the eventual blood that would soon erupt from under her skin. _Damn, _she thought. _I was hoping they would've been wrong._

She paced about the room again, her hands on her hips. What could she do out here? Karel was obviously inside – that made her job completely pointless. Then, she got an idea. She tapped into her headset. "Zip, Alister, are you boys there?"

"How are things in the mystical realm of Lemuria?" Alister asked.

"It doesn't seem so good," Lara said. "It's been an hour now, and I've heard nothing."

"I'm sure they're doing fine…" Alister said hollowly.

"I need something I can distract Karel with," Lara said. "Something that can reach him from here."

"Like what?" Alister asked.

"I'm not sure," she said. "Psychics are just regular people with high neuronal activity, correct?" she asked.

"Yes…?" Alister responded. "To some extent, the high neuronal activity could be compared to that of an electrical shockwave operating in their minds – almost like a robot, if you will."

"Then what could be something that would disrupt the neural flow of the brain waves?"

It was quiet on the other line for a moment, and then Zip spoke. "I've got it," he said. "A high-frequency sound wave. It should be able to reach through the portal. The problem is, though, it'll affect the guys, too, not just Karel."

"If it draws Karel away from them, then so be it," Lara said.

"You're walking on thin ice, Lara," Alister warned.

"Just give it to me, now," she ordered.

Zip sighed as Lara heard clicking on his keyboard on the other end of the line. Then, she heard the high-pitched ringing noise that would often be associated with the multi-colored bars one would see on a television screen when the channel was disconnected. She plugged her ears, irritated by the annoying sound as it came from the video device she was equipped with. "That will do perfectly," Lara thanked him.

She drew her gun in one hand, and the stone that Zeth had given to her in another. Then, Lara waited. She knew Karel would be out here any second, so long as the sound transmitted through the portal. She stared straight at the portal, and braced herself. _1…2…3…_she counted. Then, Karel stepped through the portal, anger rising in his eyes. "Back so soon?" she asked, although inside, she was terrified.

"You've caused too much trouble," Karel said, clenching his fist as it swarmed with green energy.

"Don't tell me you thought I was dead?" she asked.

"Of course not," he said, "not at all like your lackeys on the other side of this portal. I've already taken care of them. All eight of them, just like their predecessors."

The gun in Lara's hand wavered a bit at the thought. Was he telling the truth, or trying to trick her? If he did anything to hear the Lux knights – above all, Kurtis – she would make him pay dearly. She fought to steady the weapon in her hand. "Nice try, Karel," she said. "You've played enough of your mind tricks on me."

"Then perhaps before I kill you, you would like to see your lover one last time…?"

Lara glared evilly at him, aiming the gun at his forehead. Then, he changed his profile into Kurtis Trent. He stepped forward, extending a hand towards her. "I love you, Lara," he cooed. Somehow, this time, he'd managed to change his voice as well, and it made Lara sick to her stomach. She closed her eyes, squeezing the trigger. "You are a sadist," she bellowed. She fired the weapon, listening to the sound of Kurtis cry out in pain as she did so. _Stop it…_her mind began to scream. She made the mistake of opening her eyes, and looked up to see Kurtis lying on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth. "Stop it!" she screamed.

She continued to fire shots into him, her eyes closed the entire time. Karel elicited the genuine effect of the sound of death with each shot, until Lara stood in place, her empty gun trained on him, and Kurtis's body before her in a pool of blood.

"Lara, how could you…?" he said, coughing. "You told me you loved me…" Lara felt tears coming to her eyes, and she prayed to God that Kurtis was okay inside Lemuria, that Karel hadn't really killed him. She opened her eyes, braced herself, and stared forward at Kurtis as he sat on the floor, heaving heavy breaths. "You're worse than I ever could've imagined," Lara said, her voice shaking.

Kurtis stopped heaving, then looked up at her, Karel's eyes flashing through his soul. Then, he chuckled, Karel's own voice returning to him. "I suppose there is no more playing with you, then," he said. He changed his profile back into his true personality of the evil Karel, and then rose to his feet, an evil grin over his face. "And you call _me_ the sadist…"

"You're going to learn what it feels like to hurt," Lara said, the hollow sounds of revenge and pain echoing through her voice. She holstered her gun. Karel saw this as his grand opportunity and immediately shot a bolt of energy her way. Lara quickly dodged it, and then thrust the Lux Veritatis stone in his direction, emitting the conserved orange energy. He flew backwards, striking the wall behind him. _I just have to hold him off long enough, _Lara thought. _Even if it costs me my life…_

Karel rose to his feet, chuckling as he clutched his head. "The amber stone," he remarked. "I thought the Cabal had destroyed it years ago."

"Just like you thought you'd murdered off all of the remaining Lux knights, right?"

"A minor mistake, which I've already handled," Karel said. "And you're next on my list."

Lara dodged the next incoming bolt of energy, feeling queasy with each attack. This was wearing on her easily, and as she shot another surge of energy his way (which Karel easily dodged), she could tell that the stone was losing its power.

When Lara looked up, Karel was standing just before her. He shot another bolt of energy her way, and sent her flying backwards into the wall behind. Her vision clouded with darkness, and she found herself unable to move. Her body ached in its entirety, and although Karel's attack hadn't hit her with full impact, she felt every part of it burning.

Lara looked up just in time to see Karel turning back towards the portal. She groaned as she reached for the stone before her, thrusting the energy forward. It flew into the portal, and quickly evaporated. Karel had already stepped back into Lemuria.

* * *

Kurtis raced up the steps of the temple, the sound wave instantly dying. _Karel will be back any minute,_ he thought. The worst thought coming to mind, however, was that he'd killed Lara. Panic began to overtake him, but he fought to focus on the present. He needed to reach the sword, if it was the last thing he ever did.

The hallways of the temple weaved back and forth, in and out. His feet weighed heavy with every step he took. His heart pounded in his chest. The only task at hand at this moment was reaching the sword.

_He's back, Kurtis! _Garin communicated to him, _and_ _Dan and Aiden are both down!_ Just great. That only left five brothers to hold Karel off. Karel drew in a deep breath, slowing his pace once he saw the light coming from the sword in the room just ahead. _This is it,_ he thought. He trekked up the steps and towards the platform, where the sword floated in an aura above the ground. He reached forward, taking the sword with one hand. It was far too heavy for just one grip – he extended his other hand, and then drew the sword out of its aura.

The sword immediately began to spark with orange energy, flowing from the hilt to the tip. There were Lux Veritatis engravings along the metal blade. _If Father saw this, he'd be amazed, _Kurtis thought. He sliced the sword through the air, feeling the weight of its power in the palm of his hands. _Now it's time to pay Karel back, _Kurtis thought.

He held the sword low at his side and walked forward, prepared to destroy Karel once and for all.

* * *

**This just gets even more epic by the second. Let's see what happens next!! Needless to say, there are only three chapters left...then we're on a break...then we'll get going with the third installment (part 1). Mwahaha. Can't wait to see how that goes!!**

**Nothing really to comment on review-wise, but thanks for all the reviews regardless!! Keep ya chins up...will update on Saturday-ish time, so I'll see y'all then!! =D**


	17. Finish It Off

**Coming close to the end here, people!! Let's continue with this extremely prolonged fight-scene...**

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* * *

  
**Garin could feel it. Kurtis had reached the sword, and it was in his grasp. _Now to finish with Karel,_ he thought. Firstly, though, he needed to ensure the other brothers' safety. He turned towards them, trying to decide who would be the best to keep at his side. Now that Kurtis had the sword, perhaps the fewer would be better. "Aiden, Dan, Davis, and Zeth, I want the four of you to return to the portal," he commanded. "Kyran and Willard, you need to stay with me."

"Who died and made you leader?" Kyran argued.

"Not now, Kyran," Garin protested. "We need to hold Karel off. Kurtis has the sword."

"Fine," Kyran said, clenching his fists. "It'll be worth it to watch him die."

"Davis and Zeth, help Dan and Aiden get out," Garin continued. "Get back to reality and find Lara. Don't leave the ruins. We'll return soon enough."

Davis nodded, and turned to the other three, assisting the fallen warriors in making their way back to the portal. Garin watched until they'd left his sight, then turned back to the temple, drawing in a deep breath.

"Don't you think you should keep your voice down?" Kyran asked. "We don't want Karel to know that Kurtis has the sword."

"Oh, yes we do," Garin said quietly. "Friends close, enemies closer."

Kyran scoffed, but he knew he was right. If Karel was preoccupied with them, Dan, Davis, Aiden, and Zeth could easily escape. Hopefully Lara was okay outside the portal. The sound waves had stopped coming through – Garin prayed she was alright, for both hers and Kurtis's sake.

Then, seemingly from nowhere, Karel descended in the midst of his green energy. He landed softly, just before Garin, Kyran, and Willard, who stood their ground as fearlessly as they could manage. "Miss Croft is no longer my concern," he said simply. "Now to finish off the rest of your pathetic cause."

He shot two bolts of energy, one from each of his hands, sending one in the direction of both Kyran and Garin. They flew backwards into the wall. Then, he impaled Willard, sending him in the opposite direction. Karel casually descended down the stairs, towards the knights.

* * *

  
Kurtis made his way out of the temple with one goal in mind – to kill Karel. This would be the last time he would ever threaten any of his friends or loved ones again. Kurtis stepped through the entrance of the temple, gripping the sword in his hand. He glanced about, and startled to find all three warriors lying on the ground. They slowly rose. "It's about time you got here!" Kyran said, rubbing his head as he stood.

"Where's Karel?" Kurtis asked warily.

The three warriors glanced about each other, confused. "He was just here…" Willard said slowly.

Kurtis knew he needed to remain on his guard. Karel could come out of anywhere. Worse yet, what if he'd returned to reality to finish off Lara, and the other four brothers? Kurtis cautiously stepped out of the temple, glancing about for any signs of the enemy.

"He might've returned to reality," Garin said slowly. "Hand me the sword, and Willard and Kyran can go through the portal to look for Karel. You and I will stay here to fight."

Kurtis eyed him suspiciously. "Why should I give you the sword?"

"Kurtis, now's not the time for games and mistrust," Garin urged. "I know how to properly handle it, now hand it over!" He extended his hand forward, waiting for Kurtis to place the weapon in his hand. Kurtis glanced about with uncertainty. Where in the hell was Karel? He didn't like this at all.

"Come on, man," Kyran urged, nervousness creeping into his voice. "I want to get the hell out of here. If Garin knows how to kill Karel, let him do it!"

Why was Kyran acting on Garin's behalf? He knew something was definitely not right. Karel was right here, and he could feel it. Which of the brothers was he, though, and where was the missing brother?

Kurtis tried to remember what had caused the animosity between the Vasileys and the Limouxs. He remembered Konstantin telling him about how Garin's father had taken one of the Obscura Paintings from Vasiley's possession, and Vasiley in turn went to track it down, but got caught in the middle of the Cabal's blockade and was murdered by Eckhardt. Kurtis drew the weapon away, holding it low to his side.

"Why such kindness towards Garin now?" Kurtis asked Kyran. "Karel impersonated you once. He could do it again…"

"_What_?" Kyran asked harshly. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Why is it that you hate Garin so much, anyway, Kyran?" he asked cautiously.

Kyran glared at him, then scoffed. "His father stole my father's painting," he said. "Thanks to the Limouxs, my father was caught in the middle of the war, and he was killed by the son-of-a-bitch Black Alchemist."

Kurtis was a bit surprised. He was telling the truth! If he wasn't really Karel, then who was?

Then, with lighting speed, Garin backhanded Kurtis, knocking him to the ground, and taking the sword into his possession. He grinned evilly as he stepped backward, returning to his original profile as Karel. He chuckled. "All too easy," he remarked. Then, he drew the weapon into the air, sending it down to pierce Kurtis directly in the stomach. Kurtis groaned in pain, the blade sliding out of his stomach as Karel drew it backwards.

"_You_," Kyran bellowed evilly, his hand surging with orange energy. "Where is Garin?" he demanded.

"Disposed of," Karel said, wiping the blood from the blade. "As you and your friends will be soon enough."

Karel let the surges of green energy slide down the blade, and he thrust the energy in the direction of the remaining two warriors. They quickly dodged it, and in unison, sent their own attack his way. He staggered backwards a bit, nearly falling to the ground. Kyran surged another blow his way, making sure he made contact with the ground. Then, he summoned the blade into his hand. He approached Karel, the tip pointed towards his throat. "This is for all the people you've killed," Kyran said in a low, evil voice. "This is for my family –" He swung the blade in Karel's direction, the tip scraping his face and leaving blood. "This is for Garin and Kurtis –" He repeated the action, leaving another cut across Karel's face. "And _this_ is for me!"

He raised the blade into the air and then speared Karel directly in the stomach. Karel cried out in pain, writhing around in attempt to press the sword out of his gut. He wriggled around, screaming in pain. Then, in an instant, his body vanished, as if erupting into thousands of small pieces of light. Kyran drew back, heaving in anger. His fists were clenched, and he looked around cautiously. "Is he dead?" he asked.

Kurtis struggled to sit up. "I sure as hell hope so." Kyran remained wary in the place where he stood. Willard approached Kurtis's side, helping him to his feet.

"You don't look so bad," Willard said.

Kurtis glanced down at the hole in his stomach. He chuckled a bit, coughing as he did so. "It's not as bad as what Boaz did to me, that's for sure," he said, although he knew it could still be fatal.

Kyran turned to Kurtis, scoffing a bit. "Just think of it this way – at least we'll match," he said, reminding Kurtis of his own scar on his stomach.

"Where's Garin?" Kurtis asked quickly.

In response, they heard a faint coughing noise in the distance. They jerked their heads in the direction it was coming from, well aware that it could be Karel. Kyran pulled he sword from the ground and trudged forward cautiously. "Garin?" he asked, raising the sword at his side. "Is that you?"

"Over here," a voice called wearily.

Kyran drew the sword up with both hands, stepping around the side of the temple where he found Garin submerged under a pile of rocks. Kyran quickly pushed the rocks off of him and gave him a hand up. Garin chuckled a bit. "I never thought you'd be the one to come to my rescue."

Kyran offered a subtle grin in return. "I never thought I'd be the one needing to rescue _you._" He helped Garin to his feet, but immediately pointed the tip towards his throat. "Give me a good reason as to why I should believe you're not Karel," he demanded.

Garin looked him straight in the eye. "October 11," he said.

Kyran lowered the blade a little, then raised it back up. "What about it?"

"The day the Vasileys declared their undying hatred towards the Limouxs," he added.

Kyran glared at him suspiciously, then lowered the blade. "I'm convinced…for now. But if you are Karel, I'm just going to have to kick your ass again." He turned away, returning back to the remaining two warriors that waited just before the temple. Garin bent down towards Kurtis, slinging his arm over his shoulder to help him stand.

"He really did a number on you, didn't he?" Garin asked sympathetically.

"Not so bad," Kurtis replied, trying to find his footing.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Kyran said. "Even if Karel _isn't_ dead, at least we can trap him in here as soon as we get out."

"Absolutely," Garin said. "Let's move out."

Willard and Kyran moved forward, preparing to reach the portal. Garin stayed behind to help Kurtis. Kurtis, however, was accustomed to walking at only fifty-percent stability. He pushed himself off of Garin and regained footing, following after his two brothers. The only thing on his mind now was Lara. He couldn't wait to get out of this hell and reach her, to tell her he loved her, to hold her, to kiss her, to touch her, to make love to her.

What would happen now, though? Would they move in together? Would they bid goodbye? Would they try to make a soft break and move on? Would they travel the world together? _What _would happen? He was a bit nervous for not knowing, but ultimately, he couldn't wait to find out.

Then, his mind was distracted from Lara, and he felt something disturbing. He stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around, glimpsing the figure of a man standing at the temple's base. He reached for his Chirugai, but hesitated when he realized that it wasn't Karel – it was a dark-haired man, slender and tall. He stood with his arms over his chest, as if waiting for Kurtis to acknowledge him. Then, Kurtis's stomach dropped. _Dad?_ he thought. As if acting on a seemingly unconditioned response, he turned away, moving forward towards his father waiting at the base of the temple. Garin immediately stopped him, grabbing him by the shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"It's my father," Kurtis breathed.

"No, it's not," he said. "You can't believe anything you see in here, Kurtis."

"Yeah?" he asked. "You're here, aren't you? I'm here, they're here – I can believe that."

"You _know_ that we're…" He stopped. "That we're _alive._ That could just be an illusion."

"I need to know for myself, Garin," he said.

"Kurtis, the likelihood is improbable," Garin continued. "I'm trying to look out for you here."

"When Karel was showing the flashbacks on the filmstrips," Kurtis explained, "I didn't see anything to do with my father. Only my mother and my other family. He could very well be alive."

"Don't do this, Kurtis," Garin argued. "Please, just come with us. Lara is waiting for you outside. You need to get to her."

Kurtis stared deeply into his eyes, then pushed Garin's hand off his shoulder. "I'll only be a few minutes," he said. "You guys get out of here. Tell Lara that I'm coming. It won't take long."

Garin sighed. "At least take this with you," he said, handing him the Sword of Light. Kurtis held his gaze with his comrade for a moment longer, then turned to face the temple, trudging towards the stairs with the Lux Veritatis weapon at hand.

Garin sighed in frustration as well as fear. Then, he turned away, drawing in a deep breath as he followed after Kyran and Willard. _God be with you, Kurtis, _he thought.

* * *

  
Kurtis entered the temple, holding the sword low to his side. If his father really was alive, things would change. He would have _family_. He would have a place to belong. He would have his father back, overall. The very thought seemed improbable, just like Garin had said, but Kurtis had to know for certain. What was the worst that could happen?

He followed the winding paths deeper into the temple. "Dad?" he called softly, hoping Konstantin would appear to him. He found himself returning to the room where the sword had been located in. At the back of the room, his father stood, facing away from him. Kurtis's breath caught in his throat. "Dad?" he repeated. "Is that really you?"

Konstantin slowly turned around to face him, a subtle smile on his face. "Kurtis," he said. "I can't believe you made it this far."

"I had some help," he said humorously.

"No doubt," Konstantin chuckled.

Kurtis tossed the question back and forth in his head. "Are you…are you real?"

Konstantin held his gaze with Kurtis for a moment, then folded his arms over his chest, sighing. "I was real once," he said. "Until…" Then, before Kurtis's eyes, Konstantin took the shape of Karel, blood pouring from a hole in stomach, and from his temple.

Kurtis was enraged, no doubt, but above all, it made him sick. This twisted bastard had pretended to be his father to draw him into his clutches. Kurtis drew the sword up before him. "You don't know when to die," he said through gritted teeth.

"It seems we have that in common," he said, clutching his side.

_Fine, then,_ Kurtis thought, summoning all the strength he had inside of him. _I'll finish him off right here._

_

* * *

  
_**Psh, yeah...cuz no one saw THAT coming. My failure-ific attempt at being 'shocking'. **

**_trfanfrombeg_ - It's Kurtis. We don't even question his abilities XD**

**_nemesis_ - Nope, sorry. You'll just have to wait it out until the next installment comes along =P**

**_Lady Pandora_ - Aw, thank you! That really means a lot to me =D**

**Okay guys...chapter 18 will be up for your viewing pleasure on Monday!! Stay tuned, cuz we're almost out of the woods!! I'll see you in a few days!! =D  
**


	18. Unlikely, Impossible, Unbelievable

**Ohh ho ho boy...you guys are going to HATE me. HATE ME!!! XD**

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* * *

  
**Lara leaned against the brick walls of the interior of the ruins, counting in her head over and over again, beginning at one and ending at one hundred, then doing it again. They had to have been in Lemuria for nearly four hours now. Had it really been that long?

Lara clutched her stomach, the queasiness returning with each moment. Karel had really done a number on her this time, but she prayed, despite it all, that everything was well beyond the portal. She had to fight to keep from falling asleep, as well as puking her guts everywhere on the ground. _I hope Karel's getting what he deserves, _she thought.

She glanced up just in time to see some activity going on at the foot of the portal. She quickly rose, drawing her weapon in her hand. _If it's Karel…_she thought. She didn't want to finish it. She quickly trained her weapon on the portal as the light danced in waves. Then, she saw Aiden emerge, staggering a bit. She breathed relief, approaching his side, and helping him stand. Dan followed after him in the same condition. Davis and Zeth emerged next, although they seemed to be fine for the most part.

"I'm so glad to see you guys," Lara breathed. "Where are the others?"

"Still inside," Zeth told her. "Garin told us to get out so he, Kyran, Kurtis, and Willard could hold Karel off."

"How did things go, for the most part?" she asked nervously.

"Not bad actually," Davis replied. "Kurtis had already obtained the sword by the time we left."

_Thank God,_ she thought. "And are they coming soon?" Lara asked.

"Once they're finished with Karel," Davis said. "Until then, we wait."

_Great,_ Lara thought. _More waiting._ She paced about the floor nervously, trying not to think about what could be going on beyond that portal. She couldn't wait for Kurtis to return, to kiss his lips and hold onto him, to breathe in his heady fumes and let his warm hands trace the map of her naked body. The mere thought made her tingle with excitement, and when Kurtis stepped through that portal, she was going to run into his arms immediately. She couldn't hold herself back no matter how hard she fought.

Lara holstered her gun. Ten minutes had passed since the brothers had stepped through the portal, and when she looked up, she saw Willard stepping through. She held her breath, waiting for Kurtis to emerge. Next, she saw Kyran come through. Finally, Garin stepped out. She quickly approached Garin's side, confusion sweeping over her as she saw that the activity beyond the portal had stopped.

"Where is Kurtis?" she asked quickly.

Garin drew in a deep breath. "He went back to the temple."

"What?" she asked. "Why?"

"He saw his father," he said. "It can't be anything more than an illusion, though."

"So why didn't you stop him?" she demanded.

"He did," Kyran said. "Well, he tried. Kurtis wouldn't budge. He took the sword with him, though."

"Is there a reason he should?" she asked nervously. "You_ did_ kill Karel, didn't you?"

"Yes, we took care of him," Kyran said. "Just be patient, Lara. Kurtis will be out in a few minutes."

Lara turned to face the portal, picking up her habit of counting from one to a hundred again. Her eyes stayed focused on the portal, waiting for the man whom she loved to step through and reach for her. She'd counted eight sets of one hundred, and nothing had happened. She was becoming impatient. Lara faced Garin. "Can't you use Farsee?" she asked.

"I don't have Farsee," he said. "But I have something similar. I will try to find him." Garin reached his hand forward in the way Kurtis often did to use his Farsee. He stared forward, concentrating long and hard. Then, he moved his hand about, as if he were sifting through a pile of snow or sand. Lara continued to pace about nervously, waiting for Garin to give her a response.

Then suddenly, Garin began to cry out in pain, and his knees went soft as he crippled to the floor. Lara quickly rushed to his side as he clutched his head in pain. "What is it?" she asked. "What did you see?"

Garin breathed heavily, holding onto his head. Then, ever so slowly, he looked up to her, his eyes swamped with sorrow, remorse, and atonement. "Something…didn't feel right."

Lara's hands slipped from his shoulder, and she stared through him more than at him. "Is he alive?" she asked. When he didn't respond, she became angry. "Is he alive?" she demanded more strongly.

"I don't…" Garin said. He let out the breath he was holding, looking away. Then he turned back to Lara. "I'm not sure. I lost hold of the power. There was something blocking it off. I couldn't get far enough."

"So go inside," Lara said. "Go back through the portal and find him. Bring him back!"

Garin stood slowly, then walked towards the portal. He reached his hand forward to head into the portal, but the energy immediately shot him backwards, and he stumbled to the ground. "Go on!" Lara urged. "Try again!"

"It's not open, Lara," Zeth said quietly. "There's something inside there that's blocking off any type of psychic penetration."

"Then _I'll_ go in!" she said. She moved forward to step inside, acting irrationally.

Kyran immediately stepped forward and pulled her backwards. "Stop it!" he demanded. "It'll kill you if you even try!"

"_Someone_ needs to bring Kurtis back!" she said.

"Lara –" Garin began.

"Don't you dare tell me it's not possible," she challenged. "There _has_ to be a way. If we could go in and out, then we can go back in once more!"

"Did you not here what I said?" Zeth said. "It's _closed_. No one can get in or out!" Lara stared into his eyes, disbelieving. Then, she stepped away, folding her arms over chest. Garin carefully watched her, waiting for her reaction. Garin knew he needed to help. He faced the rest of the brothers. "Guys, can you give us a minute?" he asked softly.

The brothers glanced about each other, then slowly turned and left the ruins. Garin drew in a deep breath, not at all prepared for the speech he needed to give Lara. He placed a compassionate hand on her shoulder. "Lara, I'm…" _I'm so sorry,_ he wanted to say. It was far too cliché.

"Don't apologize," she said, facing him with tears in her eyes. "I _love _him," she said. "And…and he's _gone._"

"You don't know that –"

"Then bring him back!" she said, this time with more pain in her voice than anger. "Please…"

Garin stared into her eyes, wishing he knew what to say. He drew in a deep breath, preparing to open his mouth, but Lara in turn broke down into sobs, sinking to her knees, weighed down by pain. All Garin could do was bend down next to her and hold her, offering the most compassion he could manage.

* * *

**Come on, guys. You should know me well enough by now - I just CAN'T write a stupid 'happy ending'. Have faith in me!! =/**

**_trfanfrombeg_: Psh, stupid little Kyran thinking for a moment HE gets the victory at the end *shakes head in agreement with you***

**_OveractiveImaginer_: He was imperonating Garin like a douche. And then...HEY! I went back and realized that I DID quote Lara and Natla! I hadn't even noticed that when I put it in, haha. Good catch =D**

Alright, kids. I'll see you at the final chapter tomorrow!! You might find it quite shocking...but then again, you might not...just know the story is going to take a 90-degree turn. See ya tomorrow!! ;D


	19. The Tenth Child

**Well, here it is, the final chapter! *deep breath* I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous about the responses to this chapter...but it's a risk I'm willing to take. WELL! Read on...**

**

* * *

  
**_One year later_

"Hello, all," Alister called from the front door. "Is anyone here?" It was all he could do to keep the front door of the Croft Manor shut as the wind and snow threatened to hold it open. He shuddered from the cold once he managed to lock the door behind him, and shrugged his coat off for Winston to take into his hands. "Where is Lara?" he asked.

Winston drew in a silent breath. "Upstairs," he said.

"Where she usually is," Alister sighed. "How is she today?"

"Just like every other day," Winston replied, taking the bag of groceries from Alister's hand.

"Perhaps I should go up and speak with her?" he offered.

Winston sighed. "Nothing we say will make a difference about how she feels," he said. "Just let her be, Alister. It's kind of you, but she needs to be alone."

Winston turned down the hallway, heading into the kitchen to make a pot of tea. It was near tea-time anyway – Lara would like a cup about this time of day. Alister glanced up the stairs to the door that led to the hallway just outside of the room Lara spend the majority of her time in. She hadn't healed from Kurtis's disappearance – not that anyone had expected it of course, but they'd hoped. Nowadays, she seemed so distant, cold, as if she didn't even care about her existence anymore.

Alister sighed sadly to himself, missing the way Lara used to be. She used to make jokes, smile, laugh even, but now, she wasn't alive – she merely existed.

* * *

Lara sat in the rocking chair in the room of the upstairs floor, staring out the window as the snow fell from the sky. She hated the snowy days. They just gave her a reason to sit inside – and think. Thinking was what she hated most. Thinking was what caused all of her pain to come back in a mere instant.

She hadn't made contact with any of the brothers since the events of Lemuria, but she'd heard, from Zip and Alister, that they were all doing quite well. Aiden had moved in with Garin, and was now living in Amiens in his manor. The other brothers had moved back to the states, wanting to get as close to home as possible. Here, Lara was home, but she didn't feel it. It was just a great big house with people living in it. Her heart was empty – and it hurt more people than just herself.

The doorbell rang and echoed throughout the house. It took Lara a good five to ten seconds to react, glancing towards the door that closed her off to the rest of civilization. If it was important, Winston would let her know.

Lara sighed, glancing down at the diamond on her left ring finger. Sure, she'd bought it for herself, but she didn't care. Kurtis was the man she loved – if she was never going to see him again, then she didn't want anyone else to love her, and the best way to keep that from happening was to wear a huge rock on her wedding finger to convince people otherwise. Besides that, she believed in her heart that by wearing this band of matrimony, she was still Kurtis's – he was still with her, in every step she took.

A soft knock came to the door, and Lara turned towards it. "Come in," she called quietly. Winston entered. "Lara, Garin Limoux is here to see you," he said.

"Thank you, Winston," she said quietly. "I'll be down in just a minute."

Lara hadn't expected to hear from Garin, and was slightly startled – but not too startled, of course. Nothing could shock her much more these days. Without Kurtis, she felt so numb and void, misplaced.

Lara turned on the white monitor on the table, then quietly left the room. She headed down the hallway, and then down the stairs. Garin stood in the hallway, and offered a polite smile upon seeing her, hugging her as she approached. "Good to see you, Lara," he said.

"And you as well," she returned softly. "I didn't know you would be coming…?"

"Neither did I," he said removing his hat.

"Where is Aiden?"

"He's in France," he said. "He stayed behind. Said he had a lot of homework to finish up."

Lara cleared her throat, knowing this conversation was nothing more than the attempt to fill the empty space. "Would you like some tea?"

"No, I'll be fine," he declined. "Can we go somewhere to talk?"

"Of course," Lara said. She led him up the stairs and down the hallway she'd previously headed down, but into a different room. They sat themselves on the small futons beside the fire, the light dancing off the books on the shelves. "So what brings you to London?" she asked.

He drew in a deep breath. "It's about…Kurtis," he said softly.

Lara merely stared through him. "Yes?" she asked.

"It may have been a year already, but I haven't stopped trying to find him," he said.

"You don't have to make any excuses," she said quietly.

"Lara, I'm serious," he said. "I've been trying – every day." He drew in a deep breath. "I'm not going to give up on him –"

"Then you're wasting your time," she interrupted, "because I already have."

He stared into her eyes, certain that she was speaking from pain and not from certainty. Then, he drew in a deep breath. "I don't believe he's dead," Garin said. "I think he's just trapped. But _believe me_, I am trying everything I can to find a way to open the portal and get him out of there."

Lara stared past him, hardly hearing what he said. "I _do_ believe he's dead," she said hollowly. "He's gone, so he might as well be dead anyway." She drew in a silent breath. "I'm trying to find closure," she said.

"And me coming here certainly isn't helping that," he said.

"It has nothing to do with you," she protested.

Then, the monitor in the room began to echo a sharp wail. Lara quickly rose and headed through the door, into the "sitting room" where she spent most of her time. She reached her hands into the basinet and lifted the small baby into her arms, cradling the child close to her body. "Shh," she hushed the child. "I'm here now."

Garin stood silently in the doorway, watching as Lara cradled the small infant in her arms. "She's beautiful," he said as the baby quieted down.

Lara glanced up at him. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"What did you name her?" he asked.

Lara hesitated, gently tucking the blanket around the baby's body. "Emily," she responded softly.

A small smile came to Garin's face. "Kurtis would love it."

Lara glanced up at him. "He would've loved it," she corrected him.

Garin knew there was no arguing with this woman. She was set in her ways, regardless of the truth. There was an absolute possibility that Kurtis was alive. If he could just figure out a way to open the portal…

"I don't want you to keep trying to find him," Lara said, holding the baby close to her heart.

Garin knit his face into confusion. "Why not?"

"It's just wasting your time, and it's pointless," she said. "I don't want to have something to look forward to that may never happen. It needs to be black or white – not gray."

Garin understood what she meant, and in this fact, he would argue no further. The best way to get closure would be to break off the ties – not that that would make a difference as she held Kurtis's child in her arms every day. Garin wouldn't mention this though. He approached her side, staring down at the beautiful sleeping baby.

"What color are her eyes?" he asked.

Lara hesitated for a moment. "Blue," she said.

"She's a gift from Heaven," he commented.

Lara rocked the baby for another second, then returned her to her basinet to sleep safely. "Yes, she really is," Lara said. "I couldn't ask for more."

They remained in silence for another moment, then Garin cleared his throat, returning the hat to his head. "I guess I'll be going then," he said.

"I'll walk you out," Lara said. Garin moved out the door, but Lara stopped just long enough to glance down at the sleeping baby in the basinet. Tears slowly came to her eyes, and she knew she needed to leave. She closed the door behind her, following Garin down the stairs and to the door. Garin turned and faced her. "It was good to see you, Lara," he said. "And Emily, too."

"And you as well," she returned.

"If there's anything you need, just let me know," he said.

"I will," she said. "Thank you."

Garin offered her one final smile and then turned, leaving the Croft Manor. Lara locked the door, hearing footsteps approach her. She turned to face Alister, offering him a weak smile.

"And how is the Limoux brother doing?" he asked casually.

"As well as can be expected," she replied. She drew in a deep breath. "I think I'm going to go for a walk. Will you let me know if Emma wakes?"

Alister nodded, sadness in his eyes for the pain that his friend was feeling. "Of course I will. Take care, Lara."

Lara turned, gripping her winter coat off the stand, and exited through the door. She pulled the sleeves over her arms as she trudged through the powder and towards the gardens. The cold snow pierced her cheeks as each frost fell on her bare skin, but she welcomed the coldness. It matched the way her heart felt.

Lara turned past where the roses usually grew, then headed past the hedge maze. Finally, she reached the headstone that sat between the dying sycamores. She bent down to her knees, brushing the snow away from the headstone. She let her fingers fall softly over the words: _Kurtis Trent Montsegur. Always in our hearts._

A sob erupted from Lara's throat, and tears immediately began to stream down her cheeks. "I miss you," she whispered. "I miss you so much."

* * *

**THE END!!! Of this installment, anyway. I HAD to go there, didn't I?! Lara is a mother!! Who'd have thought it?! I remember bettie91 once commented on Lara and Kurtis's...ahem...unprotected love...well, I guess they learned their lessons, didn't they?! Cute little Emily...****I KNOW some people may roll their eyes or pound the keyboards at the idea of Lara having a child, but I wanted to take this in a semi-different direction, alright? Just have faith in me, kids. A****nd I know this ending didn't answer all of your questions about the last chapter, but that's what parts three and four serve to do, yaddig? **

**_trfanfrombeg_: **Aw, yeah...Kyran actually NOT being a dick for a change!! Well, you were right in one of your predictions...Karel was blocking everything out, trying to keep the brothers and anyone else from getting past the portal. I know it doesn't really make sense, but wait for the next part to understand where I went with that...You know, you are strangely and freakishly good at predicting the outcomes of my chapters!! XD

**_OveractiveImaginer_: **Yeah, accident!! Well, I quoted Lara's line purposely, but then I went back and realized...hey!! Natla DOES say that 'we have in common' thing!! Psh, total mind-blower!!! =D

**So, once everyone is done hating me terribly, look forward to part three, set to release on Wednesday, July 1. I couldn't pull a JJ Abrams on you and leave you hanging for months on end =P So two and a half weeks is plenty. The next story will be called 'The Tenth Child - Part 1'. Keep an eye out for it!**

**Also, if there are any questions that I left unanswered (besides the obvious, like "IS KURTIS DEAD?!"), then feel free to message me about it and I will respond with elation. Okay, maybe not that dramatically, but I will respond, nonetheless. I check this damn thing everyday, so no worries, mon.  
**

**BIG HUGE FAT GRATUITOUS THANK YOU to all who reviewed my story!! Special thanks to those who have been with me since the Fountain of Youth!! You guys have helped set the floor for my writing sprees!! XD But of course, I thank all who have recently joined as well. Your patronage is well-accepted, and I can't wait to see everyone at part three!! Geez, this is starting to sound like an Oscar-acceptance speech =P Alright, I'm done. FREE CANDY BARS IN BLUE AND WHITE WRAPPERS FOR EVERYONE!!!! =D =D =D Just don't eat any that you might find on the floors of the Sanitarium...who KNOWS what kind of infestation THOSE have...  
**


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